[Importance of functional assessment in patients with heart failure]

Functional tests are included in to the assessment of patients with congestive heart failure (CHF). In the patients, the indices of resting ventricular function are poor predictors of exercise capacity. Spiroergometry is a cardiopulmonary exercise test using respiratory gas exchange analysis in assessing the functional status and prognosis in patients with CHF. It identifies individuals with poorest prognoses and can be used for optimal timing of cardiac transplantation. This paper provides objective determination of functional capacity in 17 patients with CHF and their comparison with New York Heart Association Classification.