The Fick Principle

The Fick Principle is a method used in medicine to measure how well the heart and lungs are delivering oxygen to the body. It states that the amount of oxygen taken in or consumed by the body per minute equals the amount of blood passing through the lungs (cardiac output) multiplied by the difference in oxygen levels between the blood arriving in the lungs and the blood leaving them. This relationship helps doctors assess heart function and blood flow efficiency by analyzing oxygen consumption and blood oxygen content.