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Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction (HFpEF)
With preserved ejection fraction, the muscles in the heart chamber walls stiffen and thicken so the chamber cannot relax to fill with blood. This means the heart can’t pump out the blood the body needs.
Normal Heart
Strong muscular walls squeeze and relax to pump blood out to all the organs and other parts of the body.
Heart Failure with preserved ejection fraction HFpEF
The heart muscle has become stiff and lost its ability to relax normally, so the heart can’t function as it should. About 50% of people with Heart Failure have HFpEF.
Most common symptoms
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Shortness of breath
Patients with Heart Failure often have trouble breathing as a symptom. They can experience trouble breathing during activity, as well as when at rest
Swelling
Patients with Heart Failure may have swollen legs, feet, or ankles
Trouble breathing while sleeping or lying flat
Patients with Heart Failure often have trouble breathing in their sleep
Rapid weight gain
Patients with Heart Failure can have sudden changes in weight—gaining 3 lbs or more in one day.
If you have Heart Failure and notice this symptom, call the doctor right away
Coughing
Patients with Heart Failure may be bothered by a nagging cough
Confusion
Patients with Heart Failure may have a harder time maintaining attention or focus
Fatigued or feeling tired
Patients with Heart Failure often feel exhausted or a lack of energy
Both types of Heart Failure share the same symptoms. Learn the differences.
Hear a real patient’s story
See how Cynthia discovered her HFpEF and what she does to stay on top of it.
Diagnosing HFpEF
Diagnosing this kind of Heart Failure is more challenging because an ECG will show an ejection fraction in the normal range.
A process of elimination
When symptoms persist, doctors typically run a series of diagnostic tests. Eliminating other possibilities to arrive at a diagnosis of HFpEF can actually take up to a year and a half.
What it may take to diagnose
Your doctor may suggest one or more of these tests to measure your ejection fraction:
Clinical signs of Heart Failure
Evidence of preserved or normal Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction (LVEF)
Evidence of abnormal Left Ventricular (LV) diastolic dysfunction that can be determined by Doppler echocardiography or cardiac catheterization
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