weak heart

[Janet29]

What doez it mean when the cardiologist says you have a "weak heart" Ejection fraction 41%, breathless on minimal exertion, NT-pro BNP 2,800. What does this mean? The cardiologist sad its not heart failure???

[RufusScamp]

These terms are all a bit vague. E/F should be around 55-60%. Heart failure merely means your heart is not as efficient as it should be. It sounds as if your cardiologist is trying to avoid using this misleading term.

Obviously, I can't comment on your particular case, but I can share my experience. I was diagnosed with "severe heart failure" with an EF of 20%. With medication, exercise and diet it is now up to around 60%, so improvement is possible.

Perhaps others can give you more detailed help and advice.

[Anon2023]

hi. I’m assuming that your cardiologist means that your heart isn’t pumping as efficiently as it could be. That would explain your slightly reduced ef. Your bnp measurement is above normal but lots of things can impact it. I would speak to your gp and ask them to interpret all of the test results and explain them to you. I think that cardiologists sometimes forget how overwhelming it can be for us to be given information that we don’t fully understand. If you can’t speak to your gp you could always ring the BHF nurses and ask them for advice. They can be contacted on  0300 330 3311. The Helpline is open weekdays 9am to 5pm. Hope this helps.

[devonian186]

The Ejection fraction is often misunderstood. It can never be 100%. The older you get or the more unfit or more overweight, the more likely it is to be around 60 or 70% before you add in any illnesses, whether heart related or otherwise. It is unfortunate that figures never seem to be published for average real world people of a variety of ages as that would put your own EF in context.

Rufus scamp gives a good answer. Generally, with the right degree of care the EF can be improved substantially. If you have not been given advice as to how to achieve this that would be a useful place to start.

[CDreamer]

I think the question to ask your cardiologist is what is the likely cause of the low EF and how can we (emphasis on we) improve it. BNP test and result is a blood test result to measure a protein in the blood which is made by the heart when it is not pumping efficiently. The number of both the BNP result and the EF is a measure of the inefficiently and can indicate the possible cause.

As other have indicated this can be reversed and it’s never too late to improve with either lifestyle - eating & exercise plans and/or treatments. But the cardiologist needs to know what is causing the heart’s inefficiency.

My husband was in heart failure caused by leaking valves and disrythmias with an EF of about 35. He was treated with drugs, lost 10% of his weight, became more active and the more active he became the less symptomatic he became and within 12 months, the next echocardiogram indicated his ejection fraction had improved to 50% - which for his age (89) is excellent. Do not succumb to victim thinking and believing in an inevitable poor outcome.

Hope that helps.

[HeartyJames]

Well have you had an MRI to get a more accurate figure. If you have symptoms then 41% clearly means inefficient. If you are overweight, any breathlessness maybe caused by that and especially if a smoker. Good aerobic exercise can make your heart stronger. It is very different if you have had a heart attack. If a snoker , then stop that and if overweight, lose it , if you can. Try cycling.

[Hidden]

Dear 29Tufty

It seems that a weak heart is the new name for the dreadful heart failure one, which basically meant that you heart is not working at its maximum function expected of it given your age, weight, life style etc.

But it seems that most people could fall into this category and only realise when something else happens, ie in my case Breathlessness .

Take care

[Hidden]

Hi, Having read your first post I can understand your question.

I may be reading it wrong, but, it appears that your husband was originally diagnosed with Heart Failure, but, that has since been ruled out, and his Cardiologist now thinks he's had an episode of Myocarditis. If so, it's possible that he's still recovering, hence the lower than normal EF.

I have Heart Failure amongst other matters, but, I can't say I've ever been described as having a 'Weak Heart', but, then again I've not had Myocarditis. Personally, I think EF can be something of a red-herring and the Cardiologist has looked beyond Heart Failure as being the issue.

A further explanation from the Cardiologist would probably be the wisest way forward.

Best Regards