Help Me Understand

I am 45 years old. I found out I had a heart problem 9 years ago. Since then I have had CHF, MVR, TIA, another MVR and a pacemaker. The doctor told me that my Ejection Fraction is 15%. Can someone please tell me what that means in everyday language? What can I do? I'm the head of my household. I cook, clean, run errands etc. for my family.

2 Comments

EF

by Tracey_E - 2013-05-29 02:05:45

Ejection fraction is how much blood gets pumped out of the heart with each beat. The pm can make your heart beat, but it can't force the muscle to contract as hard as it needs to to pump the blood. Normal is 50-60% so 15% is pretty low. It means your heart isn't contracting strongly/efficiently when it beats, most likely from the CHF.

Meds can help, watching your diet, particularly fluid and sodium, can help. Sometimes they can upgrade to a bi-ventricular pm, also known as CRT, which has 2 ventricular leads so it synchronizes the left and right ventricles. A regular pm just makes sure the ventricles beat when the atria does. If you are pacing ventricle a lot, this may help get your numbers up. It won't make the heart beat harder, but by getting it in sync sometimes it can make a big improvement in EF.

Other than that, there isn't really much to do but take care of yourself and fight it as hard as you can. How do you feel, are you able to get through the day and do what you need to do? Is exercise an option? Cardiac rehab might help you learn your limits and make the best of what exercise you can do.

Hope that helps. Good luck to you!

Help

by swimmer212 - 2013-05-29 05:05:45

The first was right. Your EF tells you how strong your heart is. It isn't a 0-100 scale, but 15 is very low. Follow the care provided to you. You can limit salt and fluids. Take meds, watch your weight. As a nurse I can tell you I've taken care of patients with low functioning hearts, but they still do well. Listen to your body. Remain as active as you can. Rest when needed. Don't over-exert yourself. Watch for any swelling, shortness of breath, signs of stroke. Hope this helps.

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