Guidelines & Protocols Advisory Committee
Chronic Heart Failure – Diagnosis and Management
Effective Date: October 28, 2015
Scope
This guideline provides strategies for the improved diagnosis and management of adults aged ≥ 19 years with chronic heart
failure (HF) in the primary care setting.
Key Recommendations
• B-Type natriuretic peptide (BNP) OR N-terminal prohormone of BNP (NT-proBNP) is the biochemical test of choice for ruling-
in or ruling-out the diagnosis of HF and should be considered as part of the initial evaluation of patients with dyspnea
suspected of having HF. [Amended, 2015]
• BNP (or NT-proBNP) testing should not be used routinely for monitoring disease severity. [New, 2015]
• Educate the patient and family about the importance of self-monitoring to identify early decompensation at a stage where
intervention may help to avoid hospitalization. Consider referral to a Heart Function Clinic or a multi-disciplinary chronic
disease management clinic. [Amended, 2015]
• Identify who would benefit from a palliative care assessment by using the iPall – Heart Failure: Palliative Care Assessment
Tool. Initiate advance care planning discussions early in the disease course. [Amended, 2015]
• The goals of pharmacologic management for HF patients with preserved ejection fraction (HF-pEF) are to control heart rate,
blood pressure and volume status, as no medications have shown a mortality benefit in this patient group. [New, 2015]
• For patients with reduced ejection fraction (HF-rEF) there is robust mortality data to support the use of pharmacological and
device therapies. These treatments have also been shown to improve symptom status, quality of life and decrease the risk of
HF-related hospitalization. [New, 2015]
Definition
HF is a clinical syndrome defined by signs and symptoms suggestive of impaired cardiac output, volume overload or both. The
measurement of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) assists in the classification of a HF patient a
2015+BC指南:慢性心力衰竭的诊断和管理.pdf