Classes and stages of heart failure
Until November 8, 2001, New York Heart Association (NYHA) classification was
the only system used to assess stages of congestive heart failure. This
classification concentrated more on functional capacity, ranging from
asymptomatic patients to patients with severely limited activity secondary to
dyspnea at rest. The American College of Cardiology/American Heart
Association (ACC/AHA) stages focus more on the continuum and progressive
nature of this condition adding a new stage that includes patient at high risk for
the development of heart failure. The outlines of the two classifications are
described below.