Left ventricular ejection fraction as the primary heart failure phenotyping parameter

Heart failure (HF) is the most common cause of hospitalization and among the most common causes of death. 1 Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) measured by echocardiography has for decades been and remains the standard parameter for diagnosing and categorizing HF. Classification and treatment of patients remain based on ejection fraction. 2,3 Every time we encounter a patient with suspected or manifest HF, the first thing we ask is ‘what is the ejection fraction?’.