Middle English (Scots) carne, from Scottish Gaelic carn; akin to Old Irish & Welsh carn cairn
Ejection fraction is commonly measured by an echocardiogram and serves as a general measure of a person's cardiac function. Ejection fraction is typically low in patients with the systolic form of congestive heart failure.
Every contraction pushes blood out of the two pumping chambers (ventricles). When when heart relaxes, the ventricles refill with blood. The ejection fraction (EF) refers to the amount, or percentage, of blood that is pumped (or ejected) out of the ventricles with each contraction. This percentage, or EF number, helps your health care provider determine if you have heart failure or other types of heart disease.