Heart failure as a limitation of cardiac power output

Rockville, Md. (December 22, 2021)—Ejection fraction or EF (how well your left or right ventricle pumps blood with each heartbeat) is not an ideal measurement of systolic function, according to a new study published ahead of print in the journal Function. The new findings also show that similar to exercise intolerance, an impaired ability to recruit reserve cardiac power is a fundamental defining feature of heart failure regardless of EF.

There is a “common misconception that heart failure always involves an impairment of baseline resting cardiac output,” the researchers from the University of Michigan and Charles University in the Czech Republic conducting this study wrote. The data uncovered in this research “places the emphasis on the systemic, whole-body nature of the condition, with elevated preloads indicative of a volume-compensated or volume-overloaded impairment of recruitable reserve oxygen delivery as a defining feature of heart failure.”

Read the full article, “Heart failure as a limitation of cardiac power output,” published ahead of print in Function. Contact APS Media Relations or call 301.634.7314 to schedule an interview with a member of the research team.