Third Anniversary!

[d333gs]

Three years ago today :AVR with an Edwarads Inspiris. I am feeling great ! And getting in lots of exercise!

But I recently had a stress test that included measuring my LV ejection fraction, with results
I did not like. My ejection fraction under stress(80% exercise bike effort) was less than my ejection fraction at rest. This is correlated with a
partially blocked coronary not able to get enough oxygen to the heart muscle while under stress. My cardiologist blew it off a (no problem)
but I will pursue clarity and try to get a CT scan. Unfortunately, It was my first ejection fraction stress test , so I have nothing to compare it to.

 

[Chuck C]

Congratulations on 3 years!!!! Here's to many many more!!

But I recently had a stress test that included measuring my LV ejection fraction, with results
I did not like. My ejection fraction under stress(80% exercise bike effort) was less than my ejection fraction at rest

By all means, get things checked out if you are concerned about this, but by itself, I'm not sure if this is really a big deal. This is anecdotal, but I had a stress echo prior to surgery and my EF % also dropped during exercise. I still had really good cardio output, as stroke volume increased substantially, as well as heart rate, as would be expected. Also, I believe that you posted your figures in a different post, and if I recall correctly, your EF did not drop too much. It should also be kept in mind that these numbers are approximate measurements, not exact.

The linked study below may be of some interest to you:

"during exercise the ejection fraction was less than 0.60 in 45 per cent of subjects over age 60 as compared with 2 per cent of younger subjects "

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7421930/

 

[Seaton]

Happy 3 years, d333gs. Long may it continue!

 

[d333gs]

Congratulations on 3 years!!!! Here's to many many more!!


By all means, get things checked out if you are concerned about this, but by itself, I'm not sure if this is really a big deal. This is anecdotal, but I had a stress echo prior to surgery and my EF % also dropped during exercise. I still had really good cardio output, as stroke volume increased substantially, as well as heart rate, as would be expected. Also, I believe that you posted your figures in a different post, and if I recall correctly, your EF did not drop too much. It should also be kept in mind that these numbers are approximate measurements, not exact.

The linked study below may be of some interest to you:

"during exercise the ejection fraction was less than 0.60 in 45 per cent of subjects over age 60 as compared with 2 per cent of younger subjects "

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7421930/

Thanks Chuck!

 

[d333gs]

Happy 3 years, d333gs. Long may it continue!

Thanks Seaton!

 

[Woodcutter]

Three years ago today :AVR with an Edwarads Inspiris. I am feeling great ! And getting in lots of exercise!

But I recently had a stress test that included measuring my LV ejection fraction, with results
I did not like. My ejection fraction under stress(80% exercise bike effort) was less than my ejection fraction at rest.

Congratulations!

Something to be aware of (and I would bet any cardiologist is well aware) is that ejection fraction can have quite a bit of variability to it. I'll attach a couple links that can provide a starting point for digging deeper but some examples include:

- preload and afterload can make a big difference (the heart and blood vessels tend to change size with exercise and as a function of position).
- since the body is after flow/volume, it's not unusual for an effective athletic heart to have a lower ejection fraction
- the test itself is using a transducer to measure a complex, soft, varying shape in 2 very specific positions
- there are all sorts of papers on the accuracy of ejection fraction measurement

https://ecgwaves.com/topic/ejection-fraction-ef-physiology-measurement-echocardiography/

https://johnsonfrancis.org/professional/modified-simpsons-rule-for-lvef/