Low heart ejection fraction

When you learn you have low heart ejection fraction, it’s usually because your doctor diagnosed it based on testing and the symptoms you reported. We can help you by providing effective treatment and by helping you learn more about your condition.

What is low heart ejection fraction?

Low heart ejection fraction is a measure of how well the lower left side of your heart (left ventricle) is pumping blood. In between heartbeats, the left ventricle fills with oxygen-rich blood. When the heart contracts, it pumps most of the blood in the left ventricle toward the rest of your body, where it’s used in various ways.

Using a variety of medical tests, doctors can measure how much of the blood that was in the left ventricle was pumped out. The measurement is called the heart ejection fraction and it’s usually expressed as a percentage. If your heart is pumping between 55% and 75% of the blood from the left ventricle, it’s considered a normal range. If it pumps less than that, it’s called low heart ejection fraction.

When tests reveal that not enough of that oxygen-rich blood is being pumped, something must be done. If left untreated, your heart could start beating too fast (arrhythmia) to try to supply more blood or you could develop congestive heart failure.

Low ejection fraction symptoms

If you have two or more of these possible symptoms of low ejection fraction – particularly if you know you already have a heart condition – see your doctor right away. Possible low ejection fraction symptoms can include:

Low ejection fraction causes

Having a low heart ejection fraction is often a sign of heart disease or a vascular condition. Some of the diseases and conditions that may cause low heart ejection fraction are:

• Cardiomyopathy: Disease that causes your heart muscle to become enlarged, thick or stiff
• Coronary artery disease: When the vessels that supply blood to your heart become narrowed
• Heart attack: Blood flow to your heart becomes blocked
• Heart valve disease: When one or more of your heart valves don’t open and close as they should
• Systolic heart failure: When your heart’s left ventricle can’t pump blood forcefully enough

Low ejection fraction diagnosis

Doctors use different kinds of advanced testing to measure your heart ejection fraction and diagnose the cause. These tests may include:

• Computed tomography (CT) scan: Uses advanced X-ray technology
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): Uses a magnetic field and radio waves
• Echocardiogram: Ultrasound of your heart
• Nuclear cardiology imaging: Uses a safe dose of radioactive material to test how much blood flows through your heart
• Cardiac catheterization: Minimally invasive procedure where we gently guide a thin tube (catheter) with a tiny camera through a blood vessel to your heart

Lifestyle changes & prevention for low ejection fraction

Some lifestyle changes may prevent low ejection fraction or improve your percentage. Those changes include:

• Stop smoking
• Stop drinking
• Reduce salt in your diet
• Get enough physical activity
• Maintain a healthy weight

Low heart ejection fraction treatment

Your doctor will recommend treatment based on how bad your condition is as well as whether you have underlying heart disease. Sometimes medications like beta blockers or diuretics will improve your heart function and help get rid of excess fluids.

A biventricular pacemaker may be recommended if the chambers in your heart aren’t beating together. It delivers small electrical pulses to your heart to keep it pumping evenly.

When you have a condition that may stop your heart from beating, your doctor may recommend an implantable cardiac defibrillator (ICD). An ICD delivers larger electric pulses to your heart when it’s beating too slowly or too quickly. Most ICDs also work as pacemakers.

If other treatments don’t correct a dangerously low ejection fraction or severe heart problems, we may recommend a heart transplant.