Skip to main content
. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2014 Jan 16.
Published in final edited form as: Circulation. 2012 Mar 5;125(15):1928–1952. doi: 10.1161/CIR.0b013e31824f2173

Table 2.

European Society of Cardiology Criteria for Advanced Chronic Heart Failure

  1. Moderate to severe symptoms of dyspnea and/or fatigue at rest or with minimal exertion (NYHA functional class III or IV)

  2. Episodes of fluid retention and/or reduced cardiac output

  3. Objective evidence of severe cardiac dysfunction demonstrated by at least 1 of the following:

    • Left ventricular ejection fraction <30%

    • Pseudonormal or restrictive mitral inflow pattern by Doppler

    • High left and/or right ventricular filling pressures, or

    • Elevated B-type natriuretic peptide

  4. Severe impairment of functional capacity as demonstrated by either inability to exercise, 6-min walk distance <300 m, or peak oxygen uptake <12 to 14 mL · g−1 · min−1

  5. History of at least 1 hospitalization in the past 6 mo

  6. Characteristics should be present despite optimal medical therapy

NYHA indicates New York Heart Association.

Reprinted from Metra et al,20 with permission of the publisher. Copyright © 2007, Oxford University Press.