Reduced Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction in Patients With Aortic Stenosis

Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) is reduced in a subset of patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS). The authors sought to determine the temporal course of reduced LVEF, its predictors, and its impact on prognosis in severe AS. Serial echocardiograms of 928 consecutive patients with first-time diagnosis of severe AS (aortic valve area [AVA] ≤1 cm2) who had at least 1 echocardiogram before the diagnosis were evaluated. A total of 3,684 echocardiograms (median 3 studies per patient) within the preceding 10 years were analyzed. At the initial diagnosis, 196 (21%) patients had an LVEF