Assessing Health Status in Heart Failure: A Better Way

The Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire provides a nuanced, patient-centered perspective and carries greater prognostic value than the NYHA classification system.

The New York Heart Association (NYHA) system of functional classification, developed almost a century ago, has been widely accepted as a means of grading physical limitations due to heart failure (HF) symptoms — as well as justifiably criticized because it is assigned by a clinician and uses only four levels. In contrast, the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ) is a validated instrument for characterizing patient-reported outcomes for individuals with HF. In an industry-funded, registry-based study, researchers assessed changes in the two measures over time and compared their prognostic value in 2872 patients with HF and reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) from 145 U.S. practices (median age, 68; 30% women; 75% white).

Correlations…

Reviewing Author

Frederick A. Masoudi, MD, MSPH, FACC, FAHA

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardBristol Myers Squibb; CPC Clinical Research

Grant/Research SupportNational Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

Editorial BoardsUpToDate; American College of Cardiology Self-Assessment Program (SAP)

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesAmerican College of Cardiology (Chair, Innovations Committee)