National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE) Practice Exam 2025 – The All-in-One Guide to Exam Success!

An increased cardiac output can often indicate fluid overload because the body is compensating for excess volume. When there is an increase in extracellular fluid, the heart pumps more vigorously to accommodate the added fluid, leading to an elevated cardiac output. This response is part of the body's compensatory mechanisms to maintain adequate circulation and blood pressure despite the excess volume.

In conditions like congestive heart failure, for example, fluid overload can initially cause the heart to work harder in an attempt to pump the increased volume, resulting in elevated cardiac output. Over time, however, this can lead to further cardiovascular complications as the heart struggles to maintain this increased output efficiently.

While weakness of peripheral muscles, myocardial infarction, and cardiomyopathy are significant conditions that can affect cardiac function, they do not typically correlate with an increased cardiac output in the same way that fluid overload does. Myocardial infarction and cardiomyopathy usually lead to a decrease in cardiac output due to impaired heart function. Therefore, in the context of the question, fluid overload is the most accurate condition associated with increased cardiac output.