Heart Failure Support Group
Heart failure is a condition that can result from any structural or functional cardiac disorder that impairs the ability of the heart to fill with or pump a sufficient amount of blood throughout the body. It is often undiagnosed due to a lack of a universally agreed definition and difficulties in diagnosis, particularly when the condition is considered "mild."
My husband was admitted to hospital at the end of May with pneumonia, it was then that we found out he had a left bundle branch block that the dr said was unfixable. They had him on the cardiology floor for 4 days. He went to see the cardiologist who said he wanted a nuclear treadmill stress test done, then he had to wear a holter monitor for 48 hrs, then he had a muga scan. The muga scan said his ejection fraction was 48 percent and they want to see him again in 6 months. Ok, so I get it that just the right electrical impulse is working. So I don't understand why he has to go back in 6 months. So is this something that changes quickly? He is 68 and has never smoked, been a healthy weight, eats healthy (in fact better than I do and I teach bootcamp and p90 x etc 6 days a week) however he does not exercise. With a decreased ef does that mean a shortened life span? I guess I just want some idea of all this?
LBBB is an electrical problem with the heart and is unaffected by exercise or diet like plaque build up in the arteries would be. There are options in most cases.
Usual route is an attempt to treat with medication. If that does not work they may deem it necessary to perform a Ablation where they burn the electrical node causing the problem and often use a pacemaker or ICD to pace the heart. In the case of LBBB it's usually a device called a Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy (CRT) that is used to perform this function.
There is also an option called Maze which is a similar approach to Ablation but they surgically cut the node. Otherwise the same.
So in answer to your real question, does this shorten his life...not really. There was a time when that held true, but modern techniques have eliminated this issue and many many people live very long productive lives with this condition.
So, relax, kick back, and enjoy each other and stop worrying.
where did it come from, because within this is a better idea of how to cope.
Oh another thing I have learnt by being ill is - Heart failure may not arise or be minor with a better EF. But the question is what symptoms are caused by the EF. For me the lower the EF the more HF symptoms but other people the lower the EF - no change in symptoms......hard to understand really...