Heart Echo

Recently had a heart echo and it did not come back like I had hoped. During my Heart Attack, my EF was 30%. Four days after, I had v tack and ended up with an ICD. They did another echo about two weeks after my HA and EF was in the low 40's.

This echo shows my EF at 30-35. I know many people here have lower EF's but I am concerned that mine went down. I exercise faithfully everyday and am even to the point of jogging for 10 minutes at a time. The rest of my 60 minutes is walking and biking. I always take my medications as required. The echo also stated "significant left ventricular systolic dysfunction" and that I have congestive heart failure.

I understand this is mostly a site for pm's but I am hoping that others also have both plumbing and electrical issues and could perhaps provide some insight into these results. I will not be seeing the dr. for another three weeks. Unfortunately, the internet can really scare you and I have seen alot about EF, Left Vent. Systolic dysfunction and CHF causing a very short life span (like 5 years). I'm only 53 but am trying to decide if I should retire now so I can enjoy the time left.

Any input would be appreciated. Thank you in advance.

4 Comments

Enjoy Your Future

by SMITTY - 2013-11-02 02:11:52

Hello Marie12,

I'm no doctor so I can't say much about what the future holds for you, however there is some similarity in your numbers and mine.

I had a heart attack at age 53 (1982) that resulted in quadruple bypass surgery. When all the dust had settled I felt pretty good, although I was diagnosed with CHF and told I had permanent damage on the left side of the apex. I was not told any EF numbers. In fact I don't know that EF was even being determined at that time. I was given nitro in case of chest pain and told to go about my merry way, just don't overdo it. I could walk 'till my heart was content, but I should avoid running.

I worked for another 12 years, retiring in '94. I did have a few episodes of partial blockage of heart arteries. Initially these were treated with angioplasty (balloon jobs). I now have four stents and take two heart meds to treat the blockages and their associated problems

In 2000 I got the first of my two dual lead pacemakers. In '02, I started to get EF numbers and initially they were in the 50% range. The last EF number (about a year ago) was 37%, Back problems and COPD keep me from lot of physical activity today. But at age 84 my wife (also 84) and I have slowed down a lot but we do pretty much what we want to do, taking into consideration my back and SOB from the COPD.

OK, now I'll preach a little. I have followed the drs. instructions unless I thought they were too restrictive. But as you get older I think you will find that you will make more of the decisions about your hear health care I say just be sensible and don't go too far afield.

I wish you the best.

Good luck,

Smitty




Heart Failure

by Grateful Heart - 2013-11-02 03:11:52

It's a very scary term. I wish they would have called it something else. Failure sounds like there is no coming back from it.....and that's not always the case.

Go by how you feel and not necessarily the numbers. The EF is the percentage of oxygenated blood your heart pumps back out to your body. No one is 100%. Normal is somewhere between 50% - 75% I believe.

Maybe Pacer Rep will come along and explain this better.

The ICD should help your heart beat more efficiently and in sync. It's only been a few months for you, give it more time.

I posted a comment to a thread about 8 or 9 posts down. It is under the heading "New diagnosis of *heart failure.* SUX!" Idygal had similar concerns.

Keep working on your health and like Smitty said...enjoy your life.

Grateful Heart

More On EF

by SMITTY - 2013-11-02 07:11:15


Hi Marie,

I mentioned EF in my comment and Grateful Heart mentioned it in her comment. Since I am out of ball games I want to look at today I'll go into the subject of EF a little more.

As you know Ejection fraction is a measurement of the percentage of blood leaving your heart each time it contracts.

During each heartbeat cycle, the heart contracts and relaxes. When your heart contracts, it ejects blood from the two pumping chambers (ventricles). When your heart relaxes, the ventricles refill with blood. No matter how forceful the contraction, it doesn't empty all of the blood out of a ventricle. The term "ejection fraction" refers to the percentage of blood that's pumped out of a filled ventricle with each heartbeat.

According to a discussion with my doctor on this subject a couple of years ago I got the following numbers. A normal heart will have contain about 200 cc blood when it is full, or just before it contracts to pump the blood out into the body. However the heart does not empty itself each time, but ejects between 50% and 70% of the blood it contains, thus we get the term ejection fraction. The 50 to 70 percent is considered a normal amount, depending on the dr. My dr. just uses 60% as the average EF. Using his number of 60 means an average amount of blood ejected by the heart each beat is 120 cc. (60% X 200 cc = 120) When My EF is in the 50% range my heart is pumping 100 cc each beat. Like I mentioned earlier, my last EF was 37% so that means my heart is pumping 74 cc each beat.

To take this a little further then I'll leave it alone as there are no hard and fast numbers for all patients and drs.
When I got my first EF of 50% the low setting on pacemaker was 60. This meant that an EF 50% and a resting heart rate of 60 my heart was pumping 6,000 cc/minute. Now my low PM setting is and my EF is 37% has my heart pumping 5,920 cc/minute

To me what it all come down to is how do I feel and is my heart well enough to support my current activity. Then I leave it to the dr. to be concerned with the numbers he finds.

Good Luck,

Smitty


My case

by LuCas - 2013-11-03 07:11:16

Hello,
If I am not mistaken, my cardiologist once told me that the Ejection Fraction calculation is not very reliable. In 2006, one of my echocardiogram examinations suggested this "suggestive miocardial infarction", but my heart condition was due to "restrictive miocardiopathy". I think you should gather other data just like in my case. Ecocardiogram with doppler and in colour will show you and your doctor any valve problem which may significantly reduce your heart efficiency. If you have calcium deposits in the heart tissue, it MAY cause your heart muscle to reduce the contraction capability. So, if you take only one data as reference for the definition of "healthy" and "not healthy" that is wrong.
Let me tell you a bit of advice that I adopt to myself: never suffer in advance for things that are not happening yet.
Within five years or even less, I may need a heart transplant, because my pacemaker is the last option for my natural heart. I'm not worried yet. Worrying in advance will not help me at all and what is the benefit of suffering in advance?
I will pray for you in the same way I pray for everyone in this club and I hope that we can both live long years in this world.

Lucio Castro
Brazil

You know you're wired when...

You can finally prove that you have a heart.

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As for my pacemaker (almost 7 years old) I like to think of it in the terms of the old Timex commercial - takes a licking and keeps on ticking.