ACC/AHA Heart Failure Staging

• Stage A: High risk for developing HF but no structural disorder of the heart
• Stage B: Structural disorder of the heart but has never developed symptoms of HF
• Stage C: Past or current symptoms of HF associated with underlying structural heart disease
• Stage D: End-stage disease requiring specialized treatment strategies such as mechanical circulatory support, continuous inotropic infusions, cardiac transplantation, or hospice care

The ACC/AHA Heart Failure Stages were developed jointly by the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and American Heart Association (AHA) by expert consensus. They were intended to complement, but not replace, the more widely-used New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional classification, since contemporary treatment recommendations did not vary by class.

From Hunt et al, 2001.

*Conditions for which there is evidence and/or general agreement that a given procedure/therapy is useful and effective. For full recommendations, see Hunt et al, 2001.

• Matches stage to treatment options, unlike other classification systems.
• Other heart failure classification systems include Forrester Class and NYHA Class.
• Unlike other classification systems, the ACC/AHA stages include patients at risk for heart failure and corresponding management options.

• Patients with known heart failure.
• Patients at risk for heart failure.

• Developed jointly by the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and American Heart Association (AHA) to complement, but not replace, the more widely-used New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional classification.
• Based on expert consensus.

Consider treatment based on stage.