hi jim,
I just had a c and p exam for ihd I failed to bring in my last echo it showed an EF of 50% to 55% does that number qualify for the 50% and under rating thank you very much
Reply:
Probably not. Ejection fractions (EFs) aren't a perfect science. The EF measurement of your heart is a way to determine how efficiently it is pumping blood to the rest of your body. Each beat of your heart should eject a given amount of oxygenated blood out to the extremities and organs. If the heart pump is damaged, it doesn't work as well as it should.
A normal EF is usually 60% or greater. If you had a reading of 50%-55% your heart is functioning reasonably well depending on other factors of your overall health.
If you have heart disease or if you've had a heart attack, the VA sees it like this;
7006 Myocardial infarction:
During and for three months following myocardial infarction, documented by laboratory tests 100
Thereafter:
With history of documented myocardial infarction, resulting in:
Chronic congestive heart failure, or; workload of 3 METs or less results in dyspnea, fatigue, angina, dizziness, or syncope, or; left ventricular dysfunction with an ejection fraction of less than 30 percent 100
More than one episode of acute congestive heart failure in the past year, or; workload of greater than 3 METs but not greater than 5 METs results in dyspnea, fatigue, angina, dizziness, or syncope, or; left ventricular dysfunction with an ejection fraction of 30 to 50 percent 60
You can see that VA doesn't classify you as having congestive heart failure (CHF) until your EF is 30% to 50%. I understand that leaves a sort of grey area in the mind of most people...what happens to the fellow who has a reading of 45%?
Most doctors would tell you that even with a reading of 45% you can recover some of the function of your heart with proper therapy. When you begin to show an EF of 40% or lower, you will likely be ill with significant shortness of breath and you won't have much exercise capacity.
If you don't think your rating is correct, you may ask for another echocardiogram to better define what the current EF is. I advise some veterans to seek out a civilian cardiologist for the exam. Civilian physicians may negotiate a one time flat rate if you are paying cash out of your pocket for such an exam and it can cost a lot less than you would think.
Congestive heart failure can be a terrible disease to live with. Once it's set in, it's very hard to reverse. You're on the borderline and I hope your doctor has encouraged you to get some mild exercise, watch your blood pressure carefully and so on. A little prevention today will improve the quality of your life in the future.