Heart failure with reduced ejection fraction
Heart failure with reduced ejection fraction is a form of heart failure in which the ejection fraction is reduced. This is defined as a left ventricular ejection fraction of 40% or less. About half of heart failure patients have a reduced ejection fraction. Other types of heart failure are heart failure with mildly reduced ejection fraction and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction.
HFrEF may result in a variety of signs and symptoms, though these are non-specific, so their presence cannot confirm that a person has HFrEF. The most typical symptoms are shortness of breath, orthopnea, paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea, fatigue, and reduced exercise tolerance, and ankle swelling. The most specific signs, those which are most likely to indicate HFrEF as opposed to other conditions, are high jugular venous pressure and positive abdominojugular test, a third heart sound, and an apex beat farther to the side of the body than normal.