Laki

Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction
File:Heart diagram.png
Diagram of the heart showing the left ventricle
Specialty	Cardiology

Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction (LVEF) is a measurement, expressed as a percentage, of how much blood the left ventricle of the heart pumps out with each contraction. It is a key indicator of heart function and is used to diagnose and monitor various cardiac conditions.

Physiology

The left ventricle is the heart's main pumping chamber, responsible for delivering oxygen-rich blood to the body. During each heartbeat, the left ventricle contracts and ejects blood into the aorta. The ejection fraction is calculated by dividing the volume of blood ejected from the ventricle by the total volume of blood in the ventricle at the end of filling (end-diastolic volume).

Normal and Abnormal Values

A normal LVEF ranges from 55% to 70%. Values below 55% may indicate heart failure or other cardiac conditions. An LVEF below 40% is often associated with systolic heart failure, while an LVEF between 40% and 55% may suggest borderline or mild dysfunction.

Measurement Techniques

LVEF can be measured using several imaging techniques, including:

• Echocardiography: The most common method, using ultrasound waves to create images of the heart.
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI): Provides detailed images and is useful in complex cases.
• Nuclear Medicine: Techniques such as MUGA scans can also assess LVEF.
• Cardiac Catheterization: Invasive but can provide accurate measurements.

Clinical Significance

LVEF is crucial in diagnosing and managing heart conditions such as:

• Heart Failure: Helps determine the type and severity.
• Coronary Artery Disease: Assesses the impact on heart function.
• Cardiomyopathy: Evaluates the heart's pumping ability.

Management and Treatment

Patients with reduced LVEF may require lifestyle changes, medications, or surgical interventions. Common treatments include:

• ACE Inhibitors and Beta Blockers: To improve heart function and reduce symptoms.
• Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillators (ICDs): For patients at risk of sudden cardiac death.
• Heart Transplant: In severe cases where other treatments are ineffective.

Also see

• Heart Failure
• Cardiomyopathy
• Echocardiography
• Cardiac Output

Cardiovascular disease A-Z

Most common cardiac diseases

• Cardiac arrhythmia‎
• Cardiogenetic disorders‎
• Cardiomegaly‎
• Cardiomyopathy‎
• Cardiopulmonary resuscitation‎
• Chronic rheumatic heart diseases‎
• Congenital heart defects‎
• Heart neoplasia‎
• Ischemic heart diseases‎
• Pericardial disorders
• Syndromes affecting the heart‎
• Valvular heart disease‎

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

A

• Accelerated idioventricular rhythm
• Acute decompensated heart failure
• Arteriosclerotic heart disease
• Athletic heart syndrome
• Atrial flutter
• Atrioventricular fistula
• Cardiovascular disease in Australia
• Autoimmune heart disease

B

• Brown atrophy of the heart

C

• Ebb Cade
• Cardiac allograft vasculopathy
• Cardiac amyloidosis
• Cardiac asthma
• Cardiac tamponade
• Cardiogenic shock
• Cardiogeriatrics
• Cardiorenal syndrome
• Cardiotoxicity
• Carditis
• Coronary artery aneurysm
• Coronary artery anomaly
• Coronary artery disease
• Spontaneous coronary artery dissection
• Coronary artery ectasia
• Coronary occlusion
• Coronary steal
• Coronary thrombosis
• Coronary vasospasm
• Cœur en sabot
• Coxsackievirus-induced cardiomyopathy

D

• Duke Treadmill Score
• Duroziez's disease

E

• Eisenmenger's syndrome
• Embryocardia
• Endocardial fibroelastosis
• Eosinophilic myocarditis

H

• Heart attack
• Heart failure
• Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction
• Heart to Heart (1949 film)
• High-output heart failure
• Hyperdynamic precordium

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

I

• Idiopathic giant-cell myocarditis
• Interventricular dyssynchrony
• Intraventricular dyssynchrony
• Isolated atrial amyloidosis

K

• Keshan disease

L

• Loeffler endocarditis

M

• Mydicar
• Myocardial bridge
• Myocardial disarray
• Myocardial rupture
• Myocardial scarring
• Myocardial stunning
• Myocarditis

N

• Nonbacterial thrombotic endocarditis

O

• OLR1
• Ostial disease

P

• Papillary fibroelastoma
• Pathophysiology of heart failure
• Postpericardiotomy syndrome
• Pulmonary vein stenosis

R

• Right axis deviation
• Roemheld syndrome

S

• Saturated fat and cardiovascular disease
• SCAR-Fc
• Shone's syndrome
• Strain pattern
• Subacute bacterial endocarditis
• Sudden cardiac death of athletes

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

T

• Traumatic cardiac arrest

V

• Ventricular aneurysm
• Vibroacoustic disease
• Viral cardiomyopathy

W

• Waon therapy