Ejection fraction values are affected by conditions that reduce ventricle activity, such as ineffective blood circulation, faulty valves, weakened muscle tissue, or tissue death. Cardiologists use imaging studies to evaluate cardiac action and ejection fraction values. Treatment depends on the cause of low values. Normal values range from 50% to 75%, and problems arise when this percentage falls below 50%. Mitral valve regurgitation, tachycardia rhythms, and left ventricular hypertrophy are some conditions that can cause low ejection fraction values. Treatment options include lifestyle and dietary modifications, medications, valve repair or replacement surgery, and resynchronization with defibrillator implants.
Since ejection fraction values affect the pumping action of the ventricles, any conditions that reduce that activity affect the values. Ineffective blood circulation to the heart or ineffective ventricle filling combined with faulty valves, weakened muscle tissue, or tissue death all contribute to the amount of blood leaving the heart. Cardiologists generally use imaging studies to evaluate cardiac action and ejection fraction values. Treatment depends on the cause of the low values.
Doctors determine ejection fraction values by dividing stroke volume by end-diastolic volume primarily of the left ventricle. Stroke volume is the amount of blood ejected from the heart with each heartbeat. End diastolic volume is the total volume contained in the left ventricle between heartbeats or before a beat occurs. A healthy left ventricle filling to a total volume of 120 milliliters is an example of end-diastolic volume. During the beat, the volume of discharge leaving the heart could be 75 milliliters of blood.
The calculation for the ejection fraction value is then the stroke volume divided by the end diastolic volume, or 75/120, which equals 0.62 or 62%. Normal values for ejection fraction range from 50% to 75% and vary according to the time of day or physical activity. Problems arise when this percentage falls below 50%. When the ventricle doesn’t fill properly, the heart doesn’t pump an adequate supply of blood to the body. This could occur in the presence of valve disease where ineffective closure between the chambers causes blood to back up into the atria.
Doctors refer to ineffective valve closure as mitral valve regurgitation, for which patients may require valve repair or replacement surgery. Tachycardia rhythms, or heart rates above 100 beats per minute, cause the heart to beat so fast that the ventricles don’t have enough time to fill. This arrhythmia can occur due to excessive stimulation by the sympathetic nervous system or a malfunction of the heart’s electrical system, known as ventricular dyssynchrony. Patients who experience this problem may require resynchronization with defibrillator implants.
Under normal circumstances, heart tissue fibers expand to accommodate the filling of the ventricle. The weakening of the fibers caused by high blood pressure eventually causes the left ventricle to enlarge to the point that the pumping action becomes ineffective. Again, the ejection fraction values decrease. Patients with this condition, known as left ventricular hypertrophy, often require lifestyle and dietary modifications. Healthcare providers may also prescribe medications that reduce excess fluid, relax vascular tissue, and slow the heart.
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