Hey guys, there has been something I've been thinking about since diagnosis for HF in July. My initial echo showed an EF of 35-40% whilst the cardiac MRI showed an EF of 40-45%. From what I can make out the MRI is likely to give a better reading as they are more thorough. Can anyone throw any light on this? I'm trying to find as many positives as I can and get my head in a better place x
Thanks for listening x
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Only46
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100% an MRI is more accurate, any cardiologist will concur with that view.
I totally get it, I had a stress mri and everything came bk normal apart from the left side of my heart which was mildly dilated, subsequently my EF was 46%... I was absolutely mortified. My cardiologist said “oh that’s not too bad” 😫😅. However, EF can improve with medication & exercise as so many people have experienced on this forum.
MRI is much more accurate than a Echo just a little surprised that you have a range from an MRI I thought they gave an exact number. As Boo said the numbers don't really matter But they give a marker for how you are improving or even moving the other way !!
It's not all bad news Medication is getting better at a rapid pace and now a problem has been identified it can be worked on to keep you as safe as you can be.
Hi, just to say remember that a normal EF is around 55%, so your EF of around 40% isn’t that bad. Also, it’s just one measure of how your heart is functioning. A big part of it is how you feel and what you can do and whether/by how much that changes.
For sure the MRI is more accurate. And as someone said EF can get better. Mine went from low to mid 30s when diagnosed to normal range two years later with medication and regular moderate exercise.
I have to say that I was blissfully unaware of the numbers from the echo and MRI but my cardiologist and the surgeon came to the same conclusion which was 3 more stents following the initial stent following the HA. I admit so many figures and medical terms are thrown about it can be confusing. Both my cardiologist and surgeon were brilliant at laying the diagnosis and treatment out in lay mans terms. The cardiologist was particularly good at laying out a drawing of my heart as a roadmap with main arteries described as motorways etc. It worked brilliantly for me and I understood what was happening. If you are in doubt please ask your cardiologist, mine was keen for me to understand and it helped me and my mental health no end.
It’s more about how you feel rather than the number in itself. That’s the indicator
I function reasonably well on an EF of 34-35 but got unwell and it dropped to 30 and I knew about that. It improved but it was explained to me that some people like me can function with my EF But others are poleaxed and can hardly get dressed. Healthy lifestyle helps massively
Ah so that’s what that is. They’ve never used that term to me although I’ve seen it in literature. I’ve just assumed I was lucky in that I’m short so my heart had less distance to shove blood around
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