Key result
Ejection fraction classifies heart failure into reduced (40% or below), midrange (40-50%), and preserved (50% or above) categories, with half of patients falling into the reduced group.
Heart failure is a long-term condition wherein the heart fails to pump blood as efficiently as it should [1]. Various factors cause this condition, one of the most common being hypertension [2]. As a result, blood gets backed up in the body, and pressure builds up in the lungs and the digestive system, causing chest pain and shortness of breath [3]. Ejection Fraction measures the efficiency and strength of the heart's performance. It determines how well the left ventricle, the heart's main pumping chamber, pumps blood and oxygen with each beat [4]. Heart failure with a low ejection fraction occurs when the left ventricular muscle does not pump as efficiently as normal [4]. An Ejection Fraction of less than 40% indicates that the heart is not pumping enough blood and may fail [4,5]. The most common cause of ejection fraction, being less than 45%, is a blockage or narrowing in one or more of the heart's four main arteries, which supply blood to the entire body [6]. Half of all heart failure patients have a reduced ejection fraction of 40% or below and are classified as heart failure with reduced ejection fraction. The other half may be grouped as heart failure with midrange ejection fraction (40–50%) or preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), where the ejection fraction is greater than or equal to 50% [7].
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Mathew et al. (2023) conducted a review in Heart failure. Ejection fraction classifies heart failure into reduced (40% or below), midrange (40-50%), and preserved (50% or above) categories, with half of patients falling into the reduced group.
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