Certified Cardiac Rehabilitation Professional (CCRP) Practice Test

Stroke volume specifically refers to the amount of blood that is ejected from the heart's ventricles during one contraction. This measurement is crucial in understanding cardiac output, which is the total volume of blood the heart pumps per minute. Stroke volume is influenced by several factors, including the contractility of the heart muscle, the amount of blood returning to the heart (preload), and the resistance the heart must overcome to eject blood (afterload).

In the context of cardiac rehabilitation, monitoring stroke volume can help assess a patient’s cardiovascular function and fitness level, guiding exercise prescriptions. Other options do not accurately represent stroke volume: the rate of blood flow relates more to cardiac output and exercise intensity, total blood volume refers to the overall blood quantity in the body rather than through a contraction, and oxygen saturation specifically measures the percentage of oxygen bonded to hemoglobin in the blood, unrelated to the volume ejected by the heart.