Health encyclopaedia

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Diagnosis of Congestive heart failure

In order to diagnose congestive heart failure, your GP will examine your symptoms as well as any family history of the condition that could put you in a high-risk group. If symptoms are severe, this is treated as a medical emergency and you will be sent to the A&E department of your nearest hospital.

Tests for congestive heart failure include:

• exercise testing (to see how the heart performs under stress),
• electrocardiograph (ECG),
• chest x-ray,
• echocardiograph (an ultrasound scan of the heart muscles and valves),
• MRI (imaging technique), and
• coronary angiography (a dye is injected into the bloodstream so arteries can be seen on an X-ray).

You should contact your GP if you experience any sudden or otherwise unexplainable symptoms, such as unexpected weight gain (more than three pounds in one day), puffy feet or ankles, chest pain, difficulty breathing or flu/fever.

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