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Answers List  Forum Name: Ischemic Heart Disease  Question:
Collateral Vein(s)   Heart One - Mon Oct 26, 2009 2:18 pm  Could
someone explain the relationship between collatreral veins
around multiple blockages and the ejection fraction? What effect
does this have upon the EF reading? Thank you  John Kenyon, CNA
- Mon Nov 02, 2009 12:59 am  User avatar Hello -- The collateral
blood flow, in those fortunate enough to be able to form them,
function as arteries, not veins. They will develop in certain
people and not others, and they are essentially new arteries,
but not native ones, so looked at as a peculiar phenomenon. The
important thing is that they do work. As to the effect on EF, it
depends upon the amount of damage to the left ventricle already
present, the course of the collaterals, etc. In other words they
can sometimes have a dramatically salutory effect and improve
cardiac output significantly. In others they do nourish the
muscle but if ther