How is diastolic heart failure diagnosed?

How is diastolic heart failure diagnosed?

Your healthcare provider asks you about your symptoms and family health history. Your provider also conducts a physical exam and listens to your heart with a stethoscope.

You may have specific tests to diagnose heart failure, such as:

• Chest X-ray to take images of your chest and heart.
• Electrocardiogram (EKG), a record of the electrical activity in your heart.
• Echocardiogram, using sound waves to evaluate the structure and function of your heart muscle and valves.
• Exercise stress test, increasing your heart rate with medicine or as you walk on a treadmill to see how your heart responds.
• Cardiac catheterization, using a catheter (thin, hollow tube) to measure your heart’s pressure and blood flow.