"The groundwork of all happiness is health." - Leigh Hunt

Ask the Doctor: Understanding Ejection Fraction

Question . Can you make clear exactly what you mean by “injection fraction”? And is there any technique to increase it?

Oh Ejection fraction refers to the amount of blood that’s pumped out of the left ventricle of the guts every time it contracts. Contrary to popular belief, the traditional emission fraction isn’t 100%. Even a healthy heart pumps only half to two-thirds of the amount of blood within the chambers in a single heartbeat. So a typical emission fraction is somewhere within the range of 55% to 65%.

Damage to the guts muscle – from a heart attack, heart muscle disease (similar to cardiomyopathy), or other causes. An ejection fraction of 40% or less may indicate heart failure, a condition wherein a weakened heart struggles to flow into blood throughout the body.

For some individuals with heart failure and a low ejection fraction, drugs similar to ACE inhibitors and angiotensin-receptor blockers can improve or stabilize the ejection fraction. Exercise may help by strengthening the muscles within the legs and arms. Larger, more efficient muscles are higher in a position to extract oxygen from the circulating blood, which might compensate to some extent for the guts's reduced pumping capability. But you’ll want to seek the advice of your doctor before starting an exercise regimen. If possible, seek a supervised cardiac rehabilitation program, which is the safest way for individuals with heart failure to start exercise.