Cardiac investigations

There are numerous invasive and noninvasive tests used in the diagnosis of cardiac disease. Most of the tests are performed by specialist operators in suitably equipped laboratories. However, it is useful for nurses working with patients with suspected or diagnosed cardiac disease to have a broad understanding of the main diagnostic tests available. This chapter outlines the main tests that cardiac nurses are likely to come across including exercise tolerance tests, ambulatory monitoring, tilt tests, echocardiography, nuclear and cardiac magnetic resonance scans, and cardiac computed tomography scans.