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A member asked:
Are arms and legs in competition for cardiac output?
5 doctors weighed in across 2 answers
Cardiac Output: The body will preferentially direct cardiac output to organs it deemes most vital for sustaining life. This is in (relative) order: brain, heart, kidneys, gut, muscle and skin. There is no real competition between upper and lower extremities, but rather distribution based on muscle activity and intensity. Fun question!
Answered 12/8/2019
6.2k views
Not exactly: Cardiac output is how much blood (in liters) the heart pumps in one minute. If you exercise one part of the body (say the legs) the blood vessels that supply those muscles will expand and more blood will go there. Other areas of the body may stay the same or go down a little (i.e. Blood flow to the gut goes down - that's why your mother told you to wait 30 minutes before going back in the pool).
Answered 7/4/2013
5.1k views
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