CardioChek Total Cholesterol Test Strips help you track your total cholesterol level between physician visits. The higher your total cholesterol, and the more cardiac risk factors you have (cigarette smoking, high blood pressure, low HDL cholesterol, family history of early heart disease, and age), the greater your chances of developing heart disease or having a heart attack. Your total cholesterol level is the sum of all the types of cholesterol in your blood. A total cholesterol level of under 200 mg/dL (5.18 mmol/L) is desirable.