According to a consensus statement from the Heart Failure Society of America (HFSA), Heart Failure Association of the European Society of Cardiology (HFA), and Japanese Heart Failure Society (JHFS), the syndrome known as heart failure (HF) is characterized by structural and/or functional cardiac abnormalities corroborated by elevated natriuretic peptide levels and or objective evidence of pulmonary or systemic congestion. The cardinal manifestations of HF are dyspnea, fatigue, and fluid retention, but the underlying issue may be one of pumping or ejection. In HF with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) — formerly known as "diastolic HF" — the heart may struggle to fill completely, so even though the heart is able to eject blood back out to circulate throughout the body, the amount of blood available for ejection is insufficient. In contrast, patients who have HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) — or "systolic HF" — have hearts that fill completely but are unable to pump blood out sufficiently.
How much do you know about the presentation, workup, and treatment of HFrEF? Test your knowledge with this quick quiz.
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Cite this: Yasmine S. Ali. Fast Five Quiz: Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction (HFrEF) - Medscape - Jun 10, 2021.
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