Cardiologists Find Physical Exams Just as Good for Assessing Heart Failure

Patient history and physical examination, traditionally the cornerstone diagnostic tool for medical care, may still be among the most accurate and cost-efficient methods to assess patients with congestive heart failure, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have found.

Such time-honored techniques have diminished in importance in recent years as doctors have come to rely on high-tech diagnostic approaches, such as imaging and measuring biomarkers.

In today’s issue of Circulation: Heart Failure, however, UT Southwestern and other researchers have found that the history and physical exam are still viable.