What factors can affect cardiac output?

Cardiac output: In strict physiologic terms, cardiac output is determined by something called stroke volume and heart rate. Heart rate is self-explanatory. Stroke volume is the amount of blood that the heart pumps out with each beat. This in turn is dependent on blood pressure, total blood volume, and how strong the heart contracts.

So many things: Drugs, volume of fluid in your body, infection, other illnesses, etc. The list is extremely long.

Numerous: Cardiac output is determined by the product of heart rate and a stroke volume (the amount of blood ejected with each heartbeat). Stroke volume is affected by something called contractility which is the strength of the heart muscle contraction. Contractility can be improved with sympathetic tone (epinephrine) or medications (dobutamine and others).

Cardiac output: Stroke volume times heart rate equals cardiac output. Stroke volume relates to myocardial contractility, vascular resistance, vascular volume, anemia and metabolic state. There are subcomponents to all of these.