The purpose of this study is to explore the life experiences of female patients with heart failure in the terminal stage. Data collected by using in depth interviews based on the principles of theoretical sampling, according to New York Associated Activity Restriction 4th degree，24 females aged 23-69 were interviewed from June to September 2008，and each interview lasted at least 1 hour. Interviews were tape recorded, and then transcribed verbatim within 48 hours. The constant comparison method and content analysis were applied to data analysis. Several themes emerged from the data. These themes are most general statements or concepts that reflect relations among the coded passages or capture underlying processes in the phenomena under study. According to the data analysis results, female patients with heart failure in the terminal stage will go through a process of expectation beyond strength, fear of being re-attacked , they must overcome all kinds of affected factors, including uncontrolled environments, fear of increasing inconvenience to their families, poor physical condition,…etc.；they will be aware of their actual physical conditions, and react by underlying “slowing and simplifying” and “not overestimating” their strength to live, paying more attention to their “self protection”, “elaborating to maintain independent living” in order to keep everything under control, but also “pursuing the continuity of living” in the rest of life. The findings of this research can help nurses in Taiwan understand the life experiences and recognize the living needs among female patients with heart failure in the terminal stage. Nurses who take these results as reference should be able to assist other heart failure female patients and share the same experiences with the patients and their families to achieve mutual understanding and provide suitable nursing interventions and to facilitate a higher quality life in female patients with heart failure.
