Diagnosis of heart failure: the new classification of heart failure

Overview

Heart failure (HF) is a clinical syndrome characterized by typical symptoms (e.g. breathlessness, ankle swelling and fatigue) that may be accompanied by signs (e.g. elevated jugular venous pressure, pulmonary crackles and periphe­ral oedema) caused by a structural and/or functional cardiac abnormality, resulting in a reduced cardiac output and/or elevated intracardiac pressures at rest or during stress. Natriuretic peptides have a significant nega­tive predictive value for excluding of heart failure. Echocardiography is the most important imaging method in heart failure. The new classification distinguishes HF by left ventricule ejection fraction (LV EF) into 3 groups: HF with preserved EF – HFpEF with LV EF ≥ 50 %, mid-range EF – HFmrEF with LV EF 40–49 % and HF with reduced EF – HFrEF with LV EF < 40 %. A quantity of examination methods is available in heart failure diagnosis and treatment.

Key words:

classification – diagnosis – echocardiography – heart failure – natriuretic peptides