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ejection fraction

Can one live with an ejection fraction of 25?
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Avatar universal
Life expectancy isn't something the doctors are willing to talk about when they have a patient that is suffering heart failure, as well as renal failure.  I'm stage 4 heart failure, and stage 5 renal failure.  

I have an ICD implant, and do dialysis 6 days a week, for 2 1/2 hours at a time.  I take Coreg, 12.5 mg/pm on dialysis days, along with 160 mg of lasix/pm, which mainly is used to remove excess potassium from my system, which dialysis doesn't do.  I follow my renal diet religiously, and also watch out for sodium, due to the heart failure problems.  

I also take a multivitamin, vitamin D3, renavites, phosphorous binders, and Epogen intravenously once a week, which I give to myself in my stomach.  Occassionally I receive incenter dialysis, along with iron infusions to bring my iron level up close to normal.

What is my life expectancy?  I just celebrated my 1 year milestone on dialysis, July 6th, and I'm still going strong.

I fish, hunt and hike, do all of my own housework and cooking, laundry, etc.  and the doctors who told me for 3 1/2 years that I was going to die, just shake their heads in disbelief.  They basically tell me that it's impossible to give me a time limit, since I have already surpassed their expectations.

I work hard at staying on my diet, getting excercise, taking my meds, and doing dialysis, but it's worth it.  I feel great, and I plan to live for a very long time.

Your sister could be like me, and leave the doctors shaking their heads, but SHE has to do it.  No one can do it for her.  They can guide her, but she has to make it work, and live the lifestyle to keep living.

There should be a dietician at her kidney center who can help her with the dietary needs of a renal patient, but she will have to talk to a separate dietician for her cardiac problems.  Then she will have to take both diets and combine them, and make them her own.  I had to relearn how to cook, but it's not as hard as it sounds.  High protein has been recommended for both of my health problems, and there are some great high-pro bars on the market that make it easy to get enough protein each day.

Then she will need to take her meds on time, every time, and get as much excercise as she can comfortably tolerate.

After all of the above, then she will need to seriously consider an ICD implant, as mentioned above.  I've had mine for 7 months, and have an in-home monitor.  So far, I've only found that I can not enter the Hydroelectric Dam near our home, but I don't feel the need to do so anyway, so it's not a problem.  Oh yes, and I have to remember to use my cell phone on my right side, as cell phones can cause the ICD to shock the patient.  Other than that, I hardly know it's there.

I hope I have answered some of your questions.....I hope the best for you and your sister....

Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I hope that gmachris could answer you, I understand she is also in dialysis.

As per the HF and 20% EF, it depends on the cause of the CHF but in many cases, medication and/or devices can increase it, and, even if it does not increase, some of us are symptom free.

How long has she CHF?

Of course she will already know but a suppression of salt will help.

Jesus
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Avatar universal
My sister has ef of 20% and aside form chf, she was only diagnose with renal failure.  She was recently ordered to be on dialysis, and being on her 2nd only tx, she's still hanging in there.  We almost lost her during the procedure of putting a shunt on her for the dialysis when her O2 Sat went down to 50%.  I'm trying to understand, what else can she do, in order to get through this, and at this point, what is her life expectancy.  Obviously, her life will never be the same, but how to recover form this? Need help understanding....
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Avatar universal
I've been at 15% for almost 3 years, and I'm still going.

In that 3 years I've had a heart attack, and total lung whiteout(due to CHF), but I'm still here, and my doctors just shake their heads.  

I don't have near the strength I used to have, but I'm still upright and able to get around, and I think that's a good thing.

I'm taking Coreg 2x day, Lasix 120 mg/day, dialtizem 3x day, and they seem to be working for me.....I'm allergic to Lisinopril.  

Anyway, the answer to your question is, yes, you can live with a EF of 25%.  The quality of life is less, but alive is good.  
Helpful - 0
1236285 tn?1343238974
Hi Lorettski,

I have had an ejection fraction of 15% since 2003.

What kind of medications do you take and what have you been diagnosed with?

If you look at my profile - you will see more about my conditions and medications.  Basically - for Congestive Heart Failure - I take the strong 4:

Coreg, Lasix, Digoxin and Lisinopril.

If you need to talk more - don't hesitate to email me.

Neil
Helpful - 0
351246 tn?1379682132
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL

Hi
Welcome to the MedHelp forum!
Yes it is possible to live with EF of 25%. An implantable cardiac debrillator (ICD) helps improve the heart function when ejection fraction is less than 35%. With your EF of 25% this is a life saving situation for you. However the prognosis, duration of life etc depends on several factors beyond the scope of net diagnosis and estimation. Please consult your doctor about this. Hope this helps. Take care!
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