Labs There are several blood tests doctors use to diagnose heart failure. Most patients have labs drawn at scheduled times. You may have labs drawn more often if your team feels that you need closer surveillance. BNP (Brain Natriuretic Peptide)BNP is a hormone that is released from your heart and blood vessels when they are …
EKG & Holter Monitor The EKG shows the electrical conduction through your heart. Sometimes small changes in the EKG can be a sign that a heart is getting sicker. Once in a while, your doctor will ask you to wear a Holter monitor, which is like a portable EKG that can monitor for arrhythmias happening …
Office Visits VitalsYour vital signs are VITAL. Your heart rate and heart rhythm can tell you a lot about how your heart is working. A persistently fast heart rate can be a sign that the heart is getting sicker. In heart failure, your blood pressure needs to be just right. High blood pressure can be …
Echocardiogram & Ejection Fraction Heart failure is often diagnosed using an echocardiogram (or echo). An echo is an ultrasound of the heart that shows how well the four chambers are working. One of the important numbers to determine the function of the heart is called an ejection fraction (or EF%). EF is a calculation of …
Myocarditis is when the wall of the heart muscle becomes inflamed and white blood cells to attack the normal heart medicine. This can keep your heart from working as it should. Myocarditis has many causes: Viruses: Some of these viruses include common colds including Influenzae or Coronavirus. Bacteria: Some of these infections include “staph infections,” …
Muscular dystrophy (MD) is a group of diseases that makes muscles become weak over time. If you have MD, it’s likely that you’ll have problems with your heart at some point in your life. In the same way that MD weakens muscles in your body, it can also weaken your heart and lead to cardiomyopathy. …
Cardiac toxicity, or cardiotoxicity, is when your damage is harmed but chemicals like chemotherapy. When you receive chemotherapy, you are given toxins to kill cancer cells in your body. Sometimes those drugs also hurt the normal cells in and around your heart.
Fontan FailureSome people are born with a congenital heart defect that has only one ventricle (or pump) instead of two. You may also hear it called a “single ventricle heart.” When there is only one ventricle pumping blood, the blood that is oxygen-rich mixes with the blood that is oxygen-poor. This can make you have …
