What does an echocardiogram provide in heart failure?

• A. Determine type and severity
• B. Evaluate liver enzymes
• C. Measure blood sugar
• D. Screen for cancer

Answer: (B)

An echocardiogram in heart failure is used to visualize the heart’s structure and how it’s functioning in real time. It tells you whether the heart’s pumping is reduced (systolic dysfunction) or whether filling is impaired (diastolic dysfunction), and it quantifies how severe the dysfunction is by measuring the left ventricular ejection fraction, chamber sizes, and wall movement. It also assesses valve function, detects regional wall motion abnormalities, and lets you estimate pressures in the heart and lungs. This information is essential for classifying the type of heart failure and guiding treatment and prognosis. It won’t measure liver enzymes, blood sugar, or screen for cancer, which require other tests.