A new blood test can identify a heart attack faster than the current test, a U.S. study shows, and could help ER doctors treat patients faster and prevent further damage to the heart.
The new test is more sensitive to a protein called troponin, which appears in the blood when the heart muscle is damaged, UPI reported. Results that used to take three hours can now be had in less than an hour.
Not only could this new blood test improve treatment for patients who are having a heart attack, it also could help rule out a heart attack in the patients who present with chest pain so doctors can figure out what is actually causing their pain, UPI noted.
Researchers were aware of the test, but the study by the American Heart Association found the test was safe and effective so that it now can be used by emergency rooms, Science Daily reported.
The study showed the new high-sensitivity test could rule out a heart attack in about 30 minutes, and did not miss any heart attacks, UPI reported.
Right now only a few hospitals have the rapid test, but that may change as a result of this study.
“I expect it will be rapidly adopted over the next few years,” Duke University cardiologist Dr. Christopher Granger said, UPI reported. He was not involved in the study.
The test, marketed by Roche Diagnostics, was only approved in the U.S. last year. Some of the study co-authors have financial relationships with Roche.
Studies in Europe also showed the effectiveness of the test, UPI reported.
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