I've recently had a treadmill test and my cardiologist suspected (she wasn't sure) that I may have an artery blockage and recommended I undergo catheterization to make sure
Meanwhile, a month before the treadmill test I also had echocardiography and the report says my ejection fraction is 71%, my question is can someone with EF 71% have artery blockage?
FYI I'm a type 2 diabetic
Written by
nyonyo
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When you have a stress echo or a myocardial perfusion scan both at rest and under stress, they can either put you on a bike/treadmill for the stress part or provoke the increased heart rate with drugs for the stress part.It seems to me that the artificial provocation of an increased heart rate can't be the same as the real thing. I wondered if you had any view about whether the "real" increased heart rate as a result of physical activity vs the drug induced heart rate produces similar results?
I may have this wrong but I was under the impression that 55% EF is = to a 100% output so I would have thought it looks like your Heart is working fine. I stand to be corrected on this as I may have it wrong.
I have hypertrophic cardiomyopathy so in my case an EF% in isolation can be misleading. For example I have an EF of 60/65% which looks great at first glance, until you take into account the volume of blood in the left ventricle is reduced by the thickening of my septum.
Now instead of EF of healthy volume
It is now now EF of healthy volume - disease ie less blood pumping on each beat
Your cardiologist is trained to look at all the readings measurements and the impact they have on each other.
All that said, next opportunity you get to speak with them, ask.
Hope this makes sense as I'm just getting to grips with a slew of information myself.
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