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What is LVEF?

LVEF stands for left ventricular ejection fraction.

That leads to another question: what is ejection fraction?

  • Remember that stroke volume is the difference between the EDV and the ESV
    • Stroke volume = EDV – ESV
  • Stroke volume put simply is the volume of blood pumped by the left ventricle every stroke
  • Ejection fraction is when we take the stroke volume and divide it by the total volume of blood in the heart at the end of diastole – basically the percentage of total blood in the left ventricle that is actually pumped out by the heart
    • LVEF = stroke volume / EDV
  • Normal LVEF ranges from 50 to 70 %
    • At least half of the blood left in the left ventricle at the end of diastole should be pumped out by the heart during each cardiac cycle
    • LVEF between 40 and 50 % is borderline systolic heart failure
    • LVEF under 40 % is considered systolic heart failure
  • 2 major types of heart failure are defined by the ejection fraction
    • Systolic heart failure (HFREF – heart failure with reduced ejection fraction)
    • Diastolic heart failure (HFPEF – heart failure with preserved ejection fraction)
      • Why is ejection fraction preserved in diastolic heart failure?
        • Recall that LVEF = stroke volume / EDV
        • In diastolic heart failure, there is an inability for the left ventricle to fill completely, so the EDV is reduced, but stroke volume is also reduced
        • As a result, ejection fraction remains preserved
  • A common cause for heart failure is ACS and hypertension