Genetic testing for inherited cardiac diseases is an expensive prospect, but researchers in the U.K. and Singapore reported they had devised a simple blood test that could identify 174 genes tied to 17 inherited heart conditions.

The kit will allow them to test for structural inherited heart problems that are passed along in the autosomal pattern.

Researchers used the test to analyze the blood samples of 348 participants from the National Heart Centre Singapore, and found it to be faster and more reliable than current genetic tests. In fact, it identified the genes with 100 percent accuracy.

This test could make it cheaper to identify whole families at risk of inherited genetic abnormalities, the researchers said.

If this pans out, it could open a new chapter in genetic cardiology.