The heart pumps about how many liters of blood each day?

The heart pumps about how many liters of blood each day?

• A. 5,000
• B. 7,000
• C. 3,000
• D. 9,000

Answer: (B)

Think of the heart’s daily flow in terms of cardiac output, the amount of blood it pushes through the circulation each minute. At rest, this is about 5 liters per minute. When you multiply by 60 minutes in an hour and 24 hours in a day, you get roughly 5 × 60 × 24 = 7,200 liters per day. So the heart moves on the order of 7,000 liters of blood each day. Given the average blood volume is about 5 liters, that means the entire blood volume passes through the heart about once every minute (roughly 1,440 times per day). Exercise or illness can raise this number well above 7,000 liters per day due to higher heart rate and greater stroke volume, but the everyday ballpark is around 7,000 liters.

Think of the heart’s daily flow in terms of cardiac output, the amount of blood it pushes through the circulation each minute. At rest, this is about 5 liters per minute. When you multiply by 60 minutes in an hour and 24 hours in a day, you get roughly 5 × 60 × 24 = 7,200 liters per day. So the heart moves on the order of 7,000 liters of blood each day. Given the average blood volume is about 5 liters, that means the entire blood volume passes through the heart about once every minute (roughly 1,440 times per day). Exercise or illness can raise this number well above 7,000 liters per day due to higher heart rate and greater stroke volume, but the everyday ballpark is around 7,000 liters.