Background: Approximately one half of all patients with heart failure have normal ejection fraction in the left ventricle, and heart failure is attributed to stiffness of the cardiac muscle. The most common cause is hypertension with ventricular hypertrophy.
Material and method: Literature searches were conducted in PubMed. After we made our selection, a total of 15 articles on heart failure with normal ejection fraction were included. In addition, we included nine articles from our own literature archive.
Results: The diagnosis of heart failure with normal ejection fraction presupposes clinical findings consistent with heart failure and objective signs of diastolic dysfunction. The main objective sign is increased left ventricular filling pressure estimated by echocardiography. Ventricular hypertrophy and increased natriuretic peptides support the diagnosis.
Interpretation: Underlying conditions and symptoms are treated, and in general the same drugs are used as for heart failure with reduced ejection fraction.