Written By: Bhavyajyoti Chilukoti | Updated : October 6, 2017 3:48 PM IST
Ever wondered how much blood does your heart pump? Is it enough to meet your body s requirements? What if your heart is tiring out? Is there a benchmark to determine the heart health? The answer to these questions lies within your EF number. Doctors often use EF (Ejection Fraction) to determine how healthy your heart is and how well it is functioning as a pump. Dr Santosh Kumar Dora, Cardiac Electro Physiologist, Asian Heart Institute, Mumbai explains what is EF and its significance. Also read about what is the difference between heart attack and heart failure?
What is an ejection fraction (EF)?
An EF (ejection fraction) is an important measurement in determining how well your heart is pumping out blood. It is the amount of blood that is pumped by the ventricle every time your heart contracts. The normal value of ejection fraction is 55 - 65% and never 100%, as believed by most people. This is because when blood is pumped from the ventricles there will be some amount of blood left in the ventricle, even when a person has a stroke. If the ejection fraction is less than 50% or if it is higher than 70%, it means that the heart is in trouble. Here are 7 signs of heart failure that indicate you are in trouble.
EF and heart failure -- what's the relation?
One of the common conditions that cause low ejection fraction is heart failure. As the heart muscle becomes weak, the ventricle is not able to push blood out of the heart. The pumping decreases to 45- 50%, which then slowly goes up to 30%. And when the pumping goes very low, which is below 20 - 30%, it is an indication that the person is suffering from heart failure.
A weakened heart is not able to supply sufficient blood to meet body s requirements. And hence, it plays a key role in diagnosing and tracking heart failure. However, it is important to understand the fact that heart the failure is not a disease, rather a condition which can be improved and even reversed.
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