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How to Calculate Fick

The Fick number is a measure of cardiac output. The number is named after Adolf Eugen Fick. Fick believed that the amount of oxygen that is consumed by the body is directly related to the flow of blood through the body and the amount of oxygen that the blood could capture. The calculation requires the patient's body surface area, hemoglobin concentration and oxygen saturation in the arteries and veins. The healthier the individual, the higher the cardiac output will be.

Instructions

- 1
  Ensure that the body surface area measurement is in meters squared. Ensure that the hemoglobin level is in grams per liter.
- 2
  Multiply the body surface area by 135. In other words, calculate "BSA * 135."
- 3
  Multiply the hemoglobin level by 13 and the difference between the venous oxygen saturation level and the arterial oxygen saturation level. In other words, calculate "13 * hemoglobin * (SaO2 - SvO2)."
- 4
  Divide the result of Step 2 by the result of Step 3. The whole equation should be "(BSA * 135) / (13 * hemoglobin * (SaO2 - SvO2))." The result of this equation is the Fick number. The units of the number are in liters per minute.

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