Heart Failure Diagnosis
Common heart failure symptoms include shortness of breath, ankle swelling, weight gain, tiredness, loss of appetite, dizziness, heart palpitations, chest pain, and a dry, irritating cough.
Heart failure diagnosis tests that will help your doctor to know whether or not you have heart failure include:
- An echocardiogram - This test uses ultrasound waves that come from a small hand piece placed on your chest wall. These waves bounce back to a detector and produce a picture of the heart as it beats, allowing your doctor to see both the structure of your heart and how well it is working.
- An electrocardiogram (ECG) - During an ECG test, electrical leads are placed on your chest, arms and legs. These leads detect small electrical signals and produce a tracing on graph paper illustrating the electrical impulses travelling through the heart muscle.
- A coronary angiogram - This is a special X-ray that shows whether your coronary arteries are narrowed or blocked. Under a local anaesthetic, a small tube (catheter) is inserted into an artery in your arm or groin and guided into the heart. Dye is injected through the catheter into the coronary arteries and X-rays are taken, giving detailed information about the condition of your coronary arteries.
- A chest X-ray
Further Resources
For more information about heart failure diagnosis and heart failure symptoms, please download the Heart Failure Information Sheet below.
Heart Failure Information Sheet 
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