How do I know if my heart is OK?

Checking your pulse Taking a pulse is a very important part of heart health checks. It measures the number of heart beats per minute, assesses if the pulse is regular or not, and identifies the strength of the pulse. Your nurse or doctor may check your pulse, or you can check it yourself.

nhsinform.scot - Tests for diagnosing heart conditions - Heart tests - NHS inform

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Taking a pulse is a very important part of heart health checks. It measures the number of heart beats per minute, assesses if the pulse is regular or not, and identifies the strength of the pulse. Your nurse or doctor may check your pulse, or you can check it yourself. To identify common heart conditions you'll need to have some tests. These could include: Watch NHS Fife's video on how to check your own pulse, and how important it is to go and talk to your doctor or nurse if you notice that your pulse isn't regular.

Blood pressure

Blood pressure is an important measurement that can be taken by your doctor, nurse or healthcare assistant. It’s recorded as two readings: systolic pressure (higher reading) – this records the pressure within the blood vessels as the heart contracts and forces blood out into the arteries diastolic pressure (lower reading) – this records the pressure when the heart fills up with blood again Your blood pressure fluctuates throughout the day, depending on what you’re doing. The "white coat effect" is when your blood pressure rises at the thought of having your blood pressure taken. To prevent this when you get your BP taken, try to relax. You might be asked to sit quietly for at least five minutes beforehand. Tell the person taking your blood pressure about any prescribed medicines you’re taking. Sometimes your doctor may want you to monitor your blood pressure at home over a period of time. This can be either by 24-hour ambulatory monitoring or by home monitoring.

British Heart Foundation have information on measuring your blood pressure at home

Echocardiogram

An echocardiogram - or "echo" - is an ultrasound scan of the heart. It uses high frequency sound waves to create an image of your heart. This is a painless procedure that is usually performed in hospital or in an outpatient clinic. You’ll have jelly applied to your bare chest, and an experienced operator will move the probe around your chest to get good views of your heart.

It can check:

the size of the heart

how well the heart muscle is contracting and relaxing

how well the valves are working

More about having an echocardiogram

Electrocardiogram

An electrocardiogram (ECG) is a test that records the electrical activity of the heart. The ECG reflects what’s happening in different areas of the heart and helps identify any problems with the rhythm or rate of your heart. The ECG is painless and takes around 5-10 minutes to perform.

More about having an electrocardiogram

24-hour or ambulatory electrocardiogram

In this test, electrodes are connected to a small box and attached to a belt. You wear this belt for 24 hours, as you go about your normal daily activities. The ECG will be monitoring and will be able to record any abnormalities over the day. You’ll also be asked to record any symptoms. Then this can be assessed by the electrophysiologist or cardiologist.

Stress test

This stress test - or exercise tolerance test (ETT) or treadmill test - is similar to an ECG but records the activity of the heart as it works harder, for example while you’re walking on a treadmill. This "exercise" ECG records how the heart responds to exercise.

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What is a dangerously low oxygen level?

People should contact a health care provider if their oxygen saturation readings drop below 92%, as it may be a sign of hypoxia, a condition in which not enough oxygen reaches the body's tissues. If blood oxygen saturation levels fall to 88% or lower, seek immediate medical attention, says Dr. Lutchmansingh.

yalemedicine.org - Pulse Oximetry > Fact Sheets > Yale Medicine

Pulse oximetry is a term that frequently appears online and in news reports in connection with COVID-19. But what, exactly, is it?

Basically, pulse oximetry is a painless, noninvasive method of measuring the saturation of oxygen in a person’s blood. Oxygen saturation is a crucial measure of how well the lungs are working. When we breathe in air, our lungs transmit oxygen into tiny blood vessels called capillaries. In turn, these capillaries send oxygen-rich blood to the heart, which then pumps it through arteries to the rest of the body. Our organs need a constant supply of oxygen to work properly. When the capacity of the lungs to transport oxygen into the blood is impaired, blood oxygen saturation declines, potentially putting our organs in danger. A pulse oximeter can quickly detect this drop in oxygen saturation, alerting people of the need for medical intervention. If you have ever had a physical or visited a doctor for a medical procedure, you’ve had your blood oxygen saturation measured by a pulse oximeter. More recently, the spread of COVID-19, which can cause significant drops in blood oxygen saturation, has spurred a surge in the popularity of at-home pulse oximeters. (Some people who are worried they may have—or fear contracting—COVID-19, have purchased pulse oximeters with the aim of monitoring their blood oxygen levels.) “It’s important to remember that not all changes in pulse oximetry are related to COVID-19,” says Denyse Lutchmansingh, MD, a Yale Medicine pulmonologist. “Other lung-related issues, such as pneumonia and blood clots, can also result in low readings on pulse oximetry. Thus, persistently low readings should be discussed with a doctor.”

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