Stroke volume is defined as the volume of blood pumped out of one ventricle in a single heartbeat. Which of the following values represents a typical stroke volume?

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Stroke volume is the amount of blood ejected by one ventricle with each heartbeat. In a healthy adult at rest, a common scenario is an end-diastolic volume around 120 mL and an end-systolic volume around 50 mL, so the difference—the stroke volume—is about 70 mL (cc) per beat. This value aligns with how the heart maintains a resting cardiac output of roughly 5 liters per minute when the heart rate is about 70 beats per minute (CO = HR × SV).

Other values would imply different resting conditions: smaller volumes (like 50 mL or 30 mL) would yield a lower cardiac output at rest, while a larger volume (around 100 mL) is less typical at rest but can occur with certain training adaptations or specific circumstances. Remember, stroke volume can change with preload, afterload, and contractility, increasing with stronger venous return and contractile force, and decreasing when afterload is high or contractility is reduced.