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Heart Failure Diagnosis
How is heart failure diagnosed?
To diagnose heart failure, your doctor will:
- Ask about your medical history.
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Your doctor will also review all the medicines you take, ask if you have heart disease in your family, and look for other risk factors, such as high blood pressure.
- Do a physical exam.
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Your doctor will check your blood pressure and heart rate, check your weight, listen to your lung and heart sounds, check your belly and legs for swelling, and look for swelling or bulging veins in your neck.
Your doctor may diagnose heart failure from your symptoms and the physical exam. But you will have more tests to find the cause and type of heart failure so that you can get the right treatment. Tests can show how well your left lower heart chamber (left ventricle) and the valves inside your heart are working. Common tests include:
- Blood tests.
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- Routine blood tests can help your doctor identify the cause of heart failure, find out if your kidneys and liver have been affected, and know whether you have risk factors, such as diabetes or high blood pressure.
- A brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) test can help diagnose heart failure by checking the amount of a certain hormone in your blood.
- Electrocardiogram (EKG or ECG).
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An EKG is done to find any problems with your heart rhythm. It can also show signs of damage to the heart.
- Chest X-ray.
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A chest X-ray gives your doctor a picture of your heart, lungs, and major blood vessels.
- Echocardiogram (echo).
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This is an ultrasound exam of the heart. An echo is the best and simplest way to find out whether you have heart failure, what type it is, and what is causing it.
Your doctor may order more imaging tests. These include:
- Cardiac blood pool scan.
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This test shows how well your heart pumps blood to the rest of your body.
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
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An MRI lets your doctor see the structure of your heart and check how well it is pumping.
Condition Spotlight
Clinical Trials
Clinical trials are research studies that evaluate a new medical approach, device, drug, or other treatment. As a Stanford Health Care patient, you may have access to the latest, advanced clinical trials.
Open trials refer to studies currently accepting participants. Closed trials are not currently enrolling, but may open in the future.