The significance of left ventricular ejection time in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction

• Published in: European journal of heart failure Vol. 23; no. 4; pp. 541 - 551
• Main Authors: Alhakak, Alia S., Teerlink, John R., Lindenfeld, Joann, Böhm, Michael, Rosano, Giuseppe M.C., Biering‐Sørensen, Tor
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK John Wiley & Sons, Ltd 01.04.2021
• Subjects: Contractility; Heart failure; Left ventricular ejection time; Myotropes; Outcomes; Heart failure; Left ventricular ejection time; Myotropes; Outcomes; Contractility
• ISSN: 1388-9842; 1879-0844
• DOI: 10.1002/ejhf.2125

Left ventricular ejection time (LVET) is defined as the time interval from aortic valve opening to aortic valve closure, and is the phase of systole during which the left ventricle ejects blood into the aorta. LVET has been used for several decades to assess left ventricular function and contractility. However, there is a recent interest in LVET as a measure of therapeutic action for novel drugs in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), since LVET is shortened in these patients. This review provides an overview of the available information on LVET including methods of measuring LVET, mechanistic understanding of LVET, association of LVET with outcomes, mechanisms behind shortened LVET in HFrEF and the potential implications of drugs that affect and normalize LVET. The impact of therapeutic agents on left ventricular ejection time (LVET) in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). ACEI, angiotensin‐converting enzyme inhibitor; HR, heart rate; LV, left ventricular; LVEF, left ventricular ejection fraction.