How Is Heart Failure Diagnosed?
Your doctor will ask about your symptoms and perform a physical exam. He or she will want to know what symptoms you have, when they occur, how long you've been having them, and how severe they are. Your answers will help show how much your symptoms limit your daily routine.
No single test can diagnose heart failure. If you have signs and symptoms of heart failure, your doctor may recommend one or more tests. Here are some of the tests that may be ordered for you:
- EKG (electrocardiogram)
- Chest X–ray
- BNP blood test
- Echocardiography
- Doppler ultrasound
- Holter monitor
- Nuclear heart scan
- Cardiac catheterization
- Coronary angiography
- Stress test
- Cardiac MRI
- Thyroid function tests
For more information about diagnosing heart failure, see the "Diagnosis" section of Heart Failure.
Enroll in our heart failure DM program and let us help you. You will have the benefit of working with a registered nurse who can explain the different diagnostic tests and what the results mean.
Learn more and begin the enrollment process now.
Source: From Heart Failure, published by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, 2019
