INVESTIGATIONS

The tests that are recommended for a patient depends upon what the doctor thinks that the patient has. Before sending you for testing, your doctor would take your detailed health history and examine your body thoroughly. Based on the suspicion, your doctor may refer to one or more tests.

Investigations not only help to detect a disease, they also help to check for presence of possible disease complications and to find out how is the treatment affecting your health.

Blood tests:

  1. Complete blood count (CBC): A complete blood count helps to detect infection, anaemia and other blood disorders. Anaemia is a common finding in heart failure, plus it also contributes to worsening of heart failure. A low platelet count may be caused by medications such as diuretics or heparin.
  2. Cardiac troponins (cTn1, cTnT, high sensitivity troponins): It is an important biomarker present in the blood which is very useful for the detection and prognosis of acute myocardial infarction. Cardiac troponins may also be high in other heart related conditions like acute myocarditis, coronary vasospasm and non-cardiac conditions (e.g. sepsis, chronic kidney disease).
  3. Electrolytes, urea and creatinine: Levels of these help to find out your kidney function. Abnormal levels of electrolytes like potassium can increase the risk of arrhythmias Low levels of sodium is very common in heart failure. High levels of urea and creatinine indicate kidney failure which could be a possible complication of heart disease or its medications.
  4. Liver function tests: Certain drugs such as statins and amiodarone, which are commonly prescribed for patient with heart disease, can trigger liver failure. Liver failure could also be a consequence of heart failure.
  5. Thyroid function test: Medication for heart disease like amiodarone may cause hyper or hypo thyroidism. Altered thyroid hormone can also cause heart dysfunction.
  6. Brain Natriuretic Peptides (BNP or N-terminal pro BNP): BNP is a useful tool to differentiate between cardiac and non-cardiac causes of shortness of breath especially when echocardiography is not available. High levels of BNP and N terminal pro BNP is associated with increased severity of heart disease and greater risk of hospitalisation.