[Primary diagnosis of heart failure in ambulatory and hospitalized patients]

Diagnostic criteria of heart failure (HF) are the presence of typical signs, symptoms, and objective evidence of cardiac dysfunction. Exertional dyspnea is a key symptom but highly unspecific, calling for standardised focused diagnostic algorithms. These include 12-lead ECG, chest X-ray, routine laboratory values, measurement of natriuretic peptides, and the quantification of systolic and diastolic dysfunction by echocardiographic methods. Further options in the diagnostic armamentarium comprise laevocardiography, coronary angiography, scintigraphic techniques, cardiac computer tomography, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging, and endomyocardial biopsy. As a primary diagnostic aim, the underlying cause of heart failure should be determined in all subjects because the therapeutic strategy may depend on this information.