The Concept of Heart Failure: Chronic Diseases Accompanied by an Attack of Acute Exacerbation

Abstract

Heart failure is an ambiguous technical terminology. It can either refer to the presence of ventricular dysfunction or a decompensated state with symptoms and signs of clinical congestion. Diagnostic criteria for congestive heart failure, called the Framingham criteria, has not been changed for approximately half a century; the therapeutic strategy, however, has been modified considerably, resulting in improved management of congestion and consequent relief of symptoms and signs in heart failure patients. Ironically, that makes the term “heart failure” even more complex and obscure. Chronic heart failure is a new concept that was constructed based on NYHA (New York Heart Association) functional classification to evaluate the degree of symptoms and heart failure stages as per the degree of myocardial remodeling due to neurohumoral activation. This covers all states of heart failure and provides the appropriate management for patients in each stage. A better understanding of the concept of chronic heart failure is beneficial in the clinical management of patients with this condition, not only for cardiologists but also for all attending physicians.