What is the expected finding in a patient with systolic heart failure?

In a patient with systolic heart failure, the hallmark finding is a decreased ejection fraction. Systolic heart failure is characterized by the heart's inability to contract effectively during the systolic phase, which leads to a reduced amount of blood being ejected from the left ventricle with each heartbeat. This reduction in ejection fraction typically occurs because the heart muscle has become weakened, often due to conditions like coronary artery disease, hypertension, or prior myocardial infarction.

As a result, when the left ventricle contracts, less blood is pumped into the circulation compared to a healthy heart, and this decrease is reflected in the ejection fraction measurement, which quantifies how much blood is being expelled relative to the total volume of blood in the ventricle. In normal conditions, a healthy left ventricle has an ejection fraction of over 55-65%; however, in systolic heart failure, this value can drop significantly below that range, indicating impaired contractile function.

The other options do not accurately describe the typical findings associated with systolic heart failure. For instance, decreased left ventricular size is not expected; in fact, many patients may show signs of left ventricular dilation. Pulmonary congestion often occurs, but it is usually accompanied