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EJECTION FRACTION

An echocardiogram is a test that can show the movement of your heart muscle, the size of your heart’s chambers, and the condition of your heart’s valves. It can measure the pumping percentage of the heart to see what kind and what level of CHF you have. This percentage is called the Ejection Fraction, or EF. A normal EF is around 55% - 70%, but in CHF, when the heart muscle has been damaged or there are valve problems, the EF may decrease below 50%.

The EF may improve with diet, medication, and other lifestyle changes, such as weight loss. In some cases of CHF, the EF can even be normal or near-normal, as when the heart chambers are stiff and don’t fill properly with blood, but do manage to keep up their pumping percentage. This is most commonly seen in patients who have a history of high blood pressure or diabetes.

Your doctor may talk to you about your EF- the number is nothing to be scared about, but it can help you to understand what your diagnosis of heart failure means.