Testing Times

What these common heart tests reveal and when you might need one.

In broad terms, the heart mainly consists of a plumbing system and an electrical system. There are two pumps: One uses arteries to push oxygenated blood from the heart to the rest of the body; the other pump uses veins to usher blood back to the heart and into the lungs to get re-oxygenated. Your pulse, or heart-beat, is controlled by the heart’s electrical system. These systems can be measured with various tests to check for abnormalities.

Given that heart diseases claim more lives than all forms of cancer combined, it might seem logical to get all the common heart tests possible as a preventative measure. But that’s not what experts recommend.

“There is no bundle of tests that are right for everyone,” explains cardiologist Deena Goldwater, MD, PhD, Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. “The tests ordered depend up on a patient’s symptoms.”

Symptoms And Common Heart Tests

Unexplained chest pain, shortness of breath, and irregular heartbeats are a few of the symptoms that would indicate the need for a specific heart test.