The ejection fraction (EF) is an important measurement in determining how well your heart is pumping out blood and in diagnosing and tracking heart failure.

What it is:  A measurement of how much blood the left ventricle pumps out with each contraction

What it means:  An ejection fraction of 60 percent means that 60 percent of the total amount of blood in the left ventricle is pushed out with each heartbeat.

What’s normal: 

• A normal heart’s ejection fraction may be between 55 and 70. 
• You can have a normal ejection fraction reading and still have heart failure. If the heart muscle has become so thick and stiff that the ventricle holds a smaller-than-usual volume of blood, it might still seem to pump out a normal percentage of the blood that enters it. In reality, though, the total amount of blood pumped isn't enough to meet your body's needs.

What’s too low: 

• A measurement under 40 may be evidence of heart failure or cardiomyopathy.
• An EF between 40 and 55 indicates damage, perhaps from a previous heart attack, but it may not indicate heart failure.
• In severe cases, EF can be very low.

What’s too high:  EF higher than 75 percent could indicate a heart condition like hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Tests for measuring EF: 

• Echocardiogram
• MUGA scan
• CAT scan
• Cardiac catheterization
• Nuclear stress test

Learn more about common tests for diagnosing heart failure

See an illustration of the ejection fraction



This content is reviewed regularly. Last updated 03/18/09.