| abstract |
Provided are methods of determining the cardiac contractility of a cardiovascular system, which methods comprise a step of utilizing values representing stroke volume, preload, and afterload to calculate the cardiac contractility. Most preferably, the calculation of cardiac contractility utilizes a mathematical relationship where the stroke volume is represented by the volume of a tetrahedron, the preload is represented by a length of the base of the base triangle of the tetrahedron, the afterload is represented by the height of the base triangle of the tetrahedron, and the cardiac contractility is represented by the height of the tetrahedron. Also provided are measurement systems for determining the cardiac contractility of a cardiovascular system that utilize such methods of determining cardiac contractility. |