Tools to Test Your Heart

Heart tests are often used to help doctors diagnose and treat heart problems. The most common noninvasive (does not require surgery) tests used by cardiologists (heart specialists) today are electrocardiograms, Holter monitors, echocardiograms, and stress tests. These tests can be performed alone or with one another, to help doctors detect various heart problems.

Heart tests are often used to help doctors diagnose and treat heart problems. The most common noninvasive (does not require surgery) tests used by cardiologists (heart specialists) today are electrocardiograms, Holter monitors, echocardiograms, and stress tests. These tests can be performed alone or with one another, to help doctors detect various heart problems.

The test most often used is the electrocardiogram. An electrocardiogram gives a picture in a graph form of the heart’s electrical activity. This picture can suggest many conditions and/or problems within the heart, including heart enlargement, heart damage (past or present), circulation problems (the way blood flows through the heart), disturbances in rhythm (heartbeat), for example, too fast, too slow, irregular, or whether or not the heart is under strain. But, the electrocardiogram shows the doctor what is happening to the heart for a brief time only – 10 seconds or so. READ MORE