Your primary care specialist reviews your medical history and any symptoms to diagnose heart problems and their risk factors. They check your pulse, blood pressure, and other vital signs and complete a physical examination. Your provider might recommend you undergo blood tests and on-site echocardiograms or electrocardiograms (EKGs) to assess heart function. Both procedures are painless and straightforward. During an EKG, electrodes record your heart’s electrical signals during rest or while exercising. Echocardiograms use non-invasive sound waves to create detailed images of your heart’s structure and function.