Laboratory or diagnostic exams for congestive heart failure???

what are some diagnostic exams for person who has congestive heart failure?? what would be its negative and positve result for the following exams????

B-type Natriuretic Peptide or BNP is the most common and most usfeul test for CHF. It measures a hormone that's ejected from the heart when it is being damaged by CHF. I can't say enough about it. It's THE test to diagnose and monitor CHF. It's fairly new...within the past 5-10 years, but it does a great job. I work in a hospital lab and do this test often. The heart doctors were very excited when this test became available. A positive result would be anything over 100. Our analyzer reads up to 5,000. Only severe cases get that high.

Here's more information:
http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/brain...

If you research it, don't become confused because it's called "brain" type. It was named that because during the initial discovery, it was believed that the hormone was formed in the brain. It was later learned that it was released from the heart, but the name stuck.

I hope this helps! :)

First Off If You Have this I'm so sorry , and I'm sure you will be fine. Now a days we have so much Medical research out there that we can Live with this. But anyways I just want to tell you something really quick. First I'm 30 and A little heavy , and I had some swelling pretty bad in my Legs , And my Dr. Told me I had CHF , and I was so scared , I'm 30 remember. Well come to find out I was just swelling , why he scared me with that and didn't know , I will never know. But anyways one one way can tell if you should be looked at is to look for these signs .
1. swelling in legs and calves , ankles
2.urine alot
3. trouble breathing
4. A Enlarged heart
5.Fatigue very tired body tired
6. High Blood pressure
their are more , but I'm not sure of all of them. But you need to have all the tests before they Diagnose you. Do the Blood work , there is A test just for that.
Good Luck , and God Bless you , I will pray for you ....

Another way of making the diagnosis of heart failure is by echocardiography, which is ultra sound imaging of the beating heart. Calculations of the size and ability to contract, and examination of the heart valves can be made w铆th this technique. Usually in congestive heart failure the left ventricle (heart chamber) is dilated, and has a reduced contraction.
The normal heart ejects around 60% of the blood that fills the left ventricle during each cycle. The failing heart ejects below 40%.
The internal diameter of the left heart chamber is usually not over 5,5 cm when its filled the most. In heart failure the value often is 6-7,5 cm.
The right side of the heart that pumps blood in to the pulmonary circuit can also suffer in congestive heart failure, and evaluation of the size and function of the right side can be of value. And evaluation of the amount and speed of blood regurgitated from the right main chamber into the right fore chamber (atrium) can give information of the pressure build-up on the right side (backward failure).

Hope you can use the information