Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction, Explained

If you are having symptoms like fatigue and shortness of breath with minimal physical activity, your doctor may consider heart failure. One of the numbers they’ll want to measure is something called ejection fraction. However, even if your ejection fraction comes back “normal,” you might still have heart failure. This type is known as heart failure with preserved ejection fraction.

Ejection fraction is the percentage of blood that gets pumped out of the left ventricle with each beat. The left ventricle is one of four chambers of the heart. It’s the last chamber that oxygen-rich blood goes through before dispersing throughout the body.

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Written by:

Lauren Smith, MA

Lauren Smith, MA, has worked in health journalism since 2017. Before joining GoodRx, she was the senior health editor and writer for HealthiNation.

Reviewed by:

Sanjai Sinha, MD

Sanjai Sinha, MD, is a board-certified physician with over 20 years of experience. He specializes in internal medicine.

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