Fick principle

proper noun

A principle used in physiology and medicine, originally applied to measure cardiac output, stating that the total uptake (or release) of a substance by an organ is equal to the product of the blood flow through the organ and the arteriovenous concentration difference of the substance.

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Meanings

proper noun
  1. medicineA principle used in physiology and medicine, originally applied to measure cardiac output, stating that the total uptake (or release) of a substance by an organ is equal to the product of the blood flow through the organ and the arteriovenous concentration difference of the substance.
    1 more example

    The rate of blood flow in the peripheral and pulmonic vessels and the approximate size of existing shunts can be calculated by application of the Fick principle. […] It may be of interest to explain in some detail the Fick principle as employed in calculation of cardiac output, pulmonic blood flow and blood flow in shunts.

    1951 March, J. H. Lehmann, A. D. Johnson, W. C. Bridges, J. Michel, D. M. Green, “Cardiac Catheterization—A Diagnostic Aid in Congenital Heart Disease”, in Northwest Medicine, volume 50, number 3, Portland, Ore.: Northwest Medical Publishing Association, page 171

Origin

Named after German physician and physiologist Adolf Eugen Fick (1829–1901).

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Cite this entry
APA

Fick principle. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Fick%20principle

MLA

“Fick principle.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Fick%20principle. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Fick principle,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Fick%20principle.

Source: Fick principle on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.