Cathy,
Just so you know...
People who are overweight or obese frequently have an elevated ejection fraction and/or mild pulmonary hypertension. The heart does have to work harder, therefore increasing the ejection fraction. This, in turn, can cause the heart to become incapable of relaxing completely, causing diastolic dysfunction, which causes pulmonary hypertension since the blood backs up a little bit. That's part of the reason why overweight folks can get swelling in their feet. It's a pretty consistent finding, almost considered "normal" by some cardiologists.
Similar problems can occur in folks with hypertension or even asthma, as well as other respiratory diseases such as emphysema. And, obviously, heart disease.
While the numbers are important, cardiologists have to take the whole person into account. They also look for changes, which can signify more than the actual number. For instance a sudden drop from an EF of 65 to 55 could mean simply weight loss and better control of blood pressure, or something more ominous.
And, as someone else mentioned, echocardiograms are not always the best way to measure pulmonary pressures and EF. Nuclear scans and cardiac catheterizations are more reliable, not to mention a TEE.
If there are any questions, don't hesitate to ask your cardiologist. Write your questions down and bring in the list.
Warm night in Idaho,
-Laura