{"id":1771,"date":"2026-01-23T04:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-23T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/vitamed.test\/chronic-heart-failure-chf\/"},"modified":"2026-09-14T13:42:08","modified_gmt":"2026-09-14T09:42:08","slug":"chronic-heart-failure-chf","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vitamed.production.am\/en\/chronic-heart-failure-chf\/","title":{"rendered":"CHRONIC HEART FAILURE (CHF)"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

\"CHRONIC<\/figure>\n

<\/p>\n

What is Chronic Heart Failure (CHF)
\n <\/h2>\n

Chronic heart failure<\/strong> is a clinical syndrome in which the heart is unable to provide adequate cardiac output at rest or during exertion. It develops as a result of myocardial damage and reduced myocardial contractility caused by various cardiac or systemic diseases.<\/p>\n

\nCauses<\/h2>\n

The main underlying conditions leading to CHF include:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Myocardial infarction (ischemic injury)<\/li>\n
  • Myocarditis<\/li>\n
  • Endocarditis<\/li>\n
  • Arterial hypertension<\/li>\n
  • Cardiomyopathies<\/li>\n
  • Valvular heart defects<\/li>\n
  • Cardiac arrhythmias<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Classification (by left ventricular ejection fraction – LVEF)<\/h2>\n

    According to the European Society of Cardiology (ESC), CHF is classified into:<\/p>\n

    1.    HFrEF – Heart Failure with Reduced Ejection Fraction (LVEF < 40%)
    \n2.    HFmrEF – Heart Failure with Mildly Reduced Ejection Fraction (LVEF 41–49%)
    \n3.    HFpEF – Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction (LVEF ≥ 50%)<\/p>\n

    \nMain Symptoms<\/h2>\n
      \n
    • Dyspnea during physical exertion or at rest<\/li>\n
    • Orthopnea (dyspnea when lying flat)<\/li>\n
    • Peripheral edema (especially lower limbs)<\/li>\n
    • Hepatomegaly (enlarged liver)<\/li>\n
    • Pronounced fatigue, even with minimal exertion<\/li>\n
    • Paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      \nDiagnostics<\/h2>\n

      The following diagnostic methods are essential:<\/p>\n

        \n
      • Echocardiography (EchoCG) – to assess ejection fraction and structural heart changes<\/li>\n
      • Electrocardiography (ECG) – for detecting arrhythmias or ischemic changes<\/li>\n
      • Blood tests for NT-proBNP or BNP – biomarkers of heart failure indicating cardiac overload<\/li>\n
      • Chest X-ray – to assess cardiomegaly and pulmonary congestion<\/li>\n
      • Coronary angiography – when ischemic heart disease is suspected<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        \nModern Treatment Approaches<\/h2>\n

        Treatment is tailored individually based on the CHF type and symptom severity.<\/p>\n

        a) Pharmacotherapy (typically lifelong):<\/p>\n

          \n
        • ACE inhibitors or ARBs (angiotensin receptor blockers)<\/li>\n
        • Beta-blockers<\/li>\n
        • Mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists<\/li>\n
        • Diuretics (if fluid retention is present)<\/li>\n
        • SGLT2 inhibitors (sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

          b) Interventional methods (as indicated):<\/p>\n

            \n
          • Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD)<\/li>\n
          • Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT)<\/li>\n
          • Surgical interventions (e.g., revascularization)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

            \nPossible Complications<\/p>\n

              \n
            • Frequent hospitalizations<\/li>\n
            • Cardiac arrhythmias<\/li>\n
            • Thromboembolic events<\/li>\n
            • Cardiogenic shock<\/li>\n
            • Secondary multi-organ dysfunction (kidneys, liver)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

              \nPrevention<\/h2>\n
                \n
              • Blood pressure and glucose control<\/li>\n
              • Weight management<\/li>\n
              • Limiting salt and fluid intake<\/li>\n
              • Regular physical activity (when compensated)<\/li>\n
              • Cessation of smoking and alcohol<\/li>\n
              • Early diagnosis and management of underlying conditions (e.g., hypertension, ischemic heart disease)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                \nWhen to See a Doctor<\/h2>\n
                  \n
                • New or worsening dyspnea, especially while lying flat<\/li>\n
                • Development of edema (legs, ankles)<\/li>\n
                • Unusual fatigue or decline in physical capacity<\/li>\n
                • Rapid weight gain due to fluid retention<\/li>\n
                • Irregular heart rhythm or palpitations
                  \n\t <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                  Cardiology Services at VitaMed Medical Center (Yerevan, Byureghavan, Charentsavan, Stepanavan)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
                  Cardiologist home visit<\/td>\n20.000 AMD<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
                  Electrocardiography<\/td>\n4.000 AMD<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
                  Echocardiography<\/td>\n15.000 AMD<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
                  ECG monitoring 24-hour (Holter monitoring)<\/td>\n15.000 AMD<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
                  Daily blood pressure Monitoring (SMAD)<\/td>\n8.000 AMD<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
                  Initial consultation with a cardiologist with the appointment of treatment, including an electrocardiogram<\/td>\n15000 AMD<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
                  Initial consultation with a cardiologist without examination<\/td>\n12000 AMD<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
                  Third visit to a cardiologist in a month<\/td>\n5000 AMD<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                  Chronic heart failure is a clinical syndrome in which the heart is unable to provide adequate cardiac output at rest or during exertion.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1766,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[173,171],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1771","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog-en","category-blog"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vitamed.production.am\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1771","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vitamed.production.am\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vitamed.production.am\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vitamed.production.am\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vitamed.production.am\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1771"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/vitamed.production.am\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1771\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6455,"href":"https:\/\/vitamed.production.am\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1771\/revisions\/6455"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vitamed.production.am\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1766"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vitamed.production.am\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1771"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vitamed.production.am\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1771"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vitamed.production.am\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1771"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}