Cardiac reserve refers to the difference between the rates at which the

heart The heart is a muscular organ in most animals. This organ pumps blood through the blood vessels of the circulatory system. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrients to the body, while carrying metabolic waste such as carbon dioxide t ...

pumps

blood Blood is a body fluid in the circulatory system of humans and other vertebrates that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells, and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells. Blood in the c ...

- at any given time versus its maximum capacity. A measurement of the cardiac reserve may be a

health indicator Health indicators are quantifiable characteristics of a population which researchers use as supporting evidence for describing the health of a population. Typically, researchers will use a survey methodology to gather information about a populatio ...

for some medical conditions. Cardiac reserve may be 4-5 times greater than a resting value for a healthy person. __TOC__

Measurements

Cardiac reserve has been measured in different ways over the history of the test. It is possible to make a non-invasive measurement of cardiac reserve.

Significance

A measure of cardiac reserve can help predict the likelihood of

heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome, a group of signs and symptoms caused by an impairment of the heart's blood pumping function. Symptoms typically include shortness of breath, excessive fatigue, a ...

when indicated.

References

{{reflist Cardiovascular physiology Exercise physiology