Which finding would be noted in a patient with restrictive cardiomyopathy?

In restrictive cardiomyopathy, the primary characteristic is the impaired filling of the ventricles due to the stiffened myocardial tissue, which often leads to a preserved ejection fraction. Ejection fraction is a measure of the percentage of blood that is pumped out of a filled ventricle with each heartbeat. In this condition, because the ventricles can still contract normally, the ejection fraction remains within the normal range even though the overall function of the heart is compromised due to diastolic dysfunction.

As for the other findings typically associated with restrictive cardiomyopathy, left ventricular hypertrophy may not be prominent in all cases and often is related to other types of cardiomyopathy. Similarly, while decreased cardiac output can occur due to the reduced filling capacity, it is not a defining feature as the ejection fraction may still be normal. Frequent ventricular ectopy might be present in certain cases but does not specifically characterize restrictive cardiomyopathy and can occur in various heart conditions.

Thus, the finding of normal ejection fraction aligns with the pathophysiology of restrictive cardiomyopathy, emphasizing the preservation of systolic function despite diastolic filling issues.