Resumen:
The complicated situation experienced by chronic heart failure (CHF) patients affects their entire well-being but clinical
practice continues to fail to adequately respond to their demands. The aim of this study was to understand the meaning of
living with CHF from the patient¿s perspective. A hermeneutic phenomenological study was conducted according to Van
Manen's phenomenology of practice method. Individual conversational interviews were held with 20 outpatients with CHF.
Six main themes emerged from the analysis: (1) Living with CHF involves a profound change in the person; (2) The person
living with CHF has to accept their situation; (3) The person with CHF needs to feel that their life is normal and demonstrate
it to others; (4) The person with CHF needs to have hope; (5) Having CHF makes the person continuously aware of the
possibility of dying; (6) The person with CHF feels that it negatively influences their close environment.
