Ejection Fraction

[Xtremlee]

Ok so I had an echo in September 2019 EF was 54,
The next day I had a TEE. EF was similar 53. Had this at UAB Birmingham. Fast forward two weeks ( oct 2019) the Cleveland clinic did an echo EF was similar 53. Went back to Cleveland last month and they did a TEE. Said EF was 45. Now my EF has always been above 50. Is it possible it was a bad read or a bad measurement. Has this happened to anyone else?

 

[gerrychuck]

Quick answer (two weeks late) is yes, this can easily happen. Echo measurement of EF is an estimation (many echo reports make that point specifically), and studies, both intra and inter operator (same technician, same patient vs. different technician, same patient) have shown huge inconsistency in these measurements (up to +- 10% inter operator, and something like 7% intra operator). Cardiac MRI or MUGA scans are far more accurate than echo, although the data I am quoting (from memory, it could be off by a bit!) is based on normal echo as opposed to TEE. I had two echo scans done in late 2017/early 2018, done in two different clinics by two different technicians, and they were 10% apart, with the second one higher. So before getting overly concerned, you either need to see a consistent trend over at least a couple of echos, or confirmation by a more accurate test. Hope this helps!