A 74-Year-Old Man Is Being Assessed by a Nurse as Part

A 74-year-old man is being assessed by a nurse as part of a weekly, basic health assessment at the long-term care facility where he resides. His blood pressure at the time is 148/97 mm Hg, with a consequent pulse pressure of 51 mm Hg. The nurse would recognize that which of the following is the most significant determinant of the resident's pulse pressure?

A) Blood volume, resistance, and flow
B) The cardiac reserve or possible increase in cardiac output over normal resting level
C) The amount of blood that his heart ejects from the left ventricle during each beat
D) The relationship between total blood volume and resting heart rate