What does Stage C of the ACCF/AHA classification indicate?

Stage C of the ACCF/AHA classification indicates structural heart disease accompanied by symptoms of heart failure. This classification is crucial because it helps healthcare professionals understand the severity and implications of a patient’s heart condition.

In this stage, the patient has a confirmed diagnosis of heart disease, which may include conditions like reduced ejection fraction, valve disease, or prior myocardial infarction, and they also exhibit heart failure symptoms such as fatigue, dyspnea, or edema. This signifies that the heart's ability to pump effectively is compromised, leading to adverse clinical manifestations. Understanding that a patient is in Stage C allows for targeted interventions to manage both the structural issues of the heart and the symptomatic treatment of heart failure.

The other stages indicate different conditions: high risk for heart failure pertains to Stage A, which involves patients with risk factors for developing heart failure but no structural heart disease; Stage B refers to individuals with structural heart disease who have not yet developed symptoms; while refractory heart failure pertains to patients experiencing persistent symptoms despite aggressive treatment, which aligns more closely with advanced stages or specific clinical conditions rather than the definition of Stage C.