The University of Turku in Finland said Tuesday that it has developed a new test to help detect heart attacks more rapidly, reported Xinhua.
The University said that its laboratory test diagnoses myocardial infarction, also known as a heart attack, more accurately and quickly.
The measurement of cardiac troponins from a blood sample is a crucial part of diagnosing a heart attack. However, the troponin levels can sometimes be high due to reasons other than a heart attack, such as temporary issues or chronic diseases. With current tests, more than half of the high troponin levels seen in the emergency room are due to non-heart attack causes, the University said.
The new blood test focuses on long troponin molecules only. By comparing the amount of these long troponin molecules to the total troponin levels measured in traditional tests, doctors can calculate a ratio.
Currently, cardiovascular diseases account for nearly half of deaths in Finland. More efficient testing will help to treat heart attack patients faster, and reduce the workload in crowded hospitals, the University said.
- heart attack
- diagnosis
- Finland
Source: www.dailyfinland.fi
