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This new blood test will give you a quick diagnosis for heart attack!

Researchers Including One Of Indian Origin Have Developed A New Blood Test That Could Quickly And Accurately Diagnose Or Rule Out A Heart Attack.

News Nation Bureau | Edited By : Himani Garg | Updated on: 05 Apr 2017, 09:04:50 PM
Representational Image (Source: PTI)

New Delhi :

Researchers including one of Indian origin have developed a new blood test that could quickly and accurately diagnose or rule out a heart attack.

A probe by scientists at King’s College London reveals how many heart muscle cells needed to die before they could be detected in the blood stream.

In patients suspected of having suffered a heart attack, only a small proportion are shown as having diagnostic changes on a heart trace or electrocardiogram (ECG).

This means that their assessment is reliant on the use of blood tests measuring biomarkers such as cardiac Troponin (cTn) to exclude a heart attack.

Troponin is a heart muscle protein released upon injury and can be detected after heart attacks or heart muscle inflammation.

So the patients with undetectable levels of cardiac Troponin are classified as low risk and are immediately discharged and the doctors are able to rule-out heart attacks with this single blood test.

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However, in the new study of over 4,000 patients at St Thomas’ Hospital, scientists found that 47 percent fell into the intermediate risk group, requiring an extended period of observation and further blood tests.

Using donated human heart muscle tissue, the team found that between 3-9 milligrammes (mg) per 0.001 percent of the entire human heart had to undergo cell death to be detectable in the blood stream.

However, the new blood test showed that cardiac myosin-binding protein C was found to be even more sensitive, detecting 0.07 mg per 0.00002 percent of damaged heart muscle.

“This new test could transform the way we diagnose heart attacks, improving the sensitivity and ensuring that heart attacks are not missed when troponin levels in the blood are extremely low”, said Professor Nilesh Samani, Medical Director at the British Heart Foundation.

Tom Kaier, Specialist Registrar in Cardiology at King’s said, “This has the potential to transform the way we diagnose heart attacks in the 21st century”.

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“We are looking at improving the experience of patients by developing new and more sensitive blood tests that could help doctors assess the amount of damage quickly and avoid patients being admitted overnight, unless truly necessary”, Kaier added.

The research was published in the journal Clinical Chemistry. 

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First Published : 05 Apr 2017, 08:55:00 PM

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