Hang in there, Buddy. The numbers can be disheartening, but remember that the 20% ejection rate is not a percentage of what a heart is capable. A 50% ejection rate is basically how much blood is pumped out of a normal heart compared to the total volume of what a heart contains. So, a 20% ejection rate is actually 40% of what a normal heart pumps out. It's still not a "comforting" number, but is more accurate compared to what a normal heart pumps out.
Bottom line, a 20% ejection rate is 40% efficiency.
I don't have CHF, but my heart has suffered damage from 3 heart attacks over the last 27 years, including triple bypass surgery, a few stents here and there, and my ejection rate is around 35%, which means that my heart is still at 70% efficiency. Once I figured out the "truth", my anxiety level dropped well below the level of worrying about the next election!
Woody
Bottom line, a 20% ejection rate is 40% efficiency.
I don't have CHF, but my heart has suffered damage from 3 heart attacks over the last 27 years, including triple bypass surgery, a few stents here and there, and my ejection rate is around 35%, which means that my heart is still at 70% efficiency. Once I figured out the "truth", my anxiety level dropped well below the level of worrying about the next election!
Woody