Handheld Blood Test Launched for Rapid Heart Attack Diagnosis

prof .DRRAM,HIV /AIDS,HEPATITIS ,SEX DISEASES & WEAKNESS expert,New Delhi,India, profdrram@gmail.com,+917838059592,+919832025033,ON WHATSAPP

A new blood test being developed to diagnose heart attacks could one day be carried out on a simple handheld device, giving a rapid diagnosis in A&E departments without the need for samples to be sent to a lab, according to new research presented today at the British Cardiovascular Society conference in Manchester. 

      The new test uses similar technology to the troponin test, but analyses the level of a protein called cardiac myosin-binding protein C (cMyC). Levels of cMyC in the blood increase more rapidly after a heart attack, and to a higher extent, than troponin, meaning that the test can rule out a heart attack in a higher proportion of patients straight away.The international team, part-funded by us, took blood from 776 patients traveling to hospital by ambulance in Denmark. Researchers based at King’s College London then tested these samples for cMyC protein. 

            In patients who did suffer heart attacks, the protein was present in high enough concentrations 95 per cent of the time for an on-the spot diagnosis.Importantly, the cMyC test outperformed the existing troponin test, which was only capable of diagnosing around 40 per cent of patients in this way. This is mainly because troponin takes longer to reach detectable levels in the blood after you suffer a heart attack.

        The researchers now hope to work with industry to create a portable testing device to be used in UK A&E departments, and in ambulances in countries where these have to drive considerable distances to get patients to their nearest hospital. A simple handheld device could replace the time-consuming processes involved in sending samples to the hospital labs for analysis.

               It is estimated that over two thirds of people who attend A&E complaining of chest pain have not had a heart attack. But all will receive two tests: a heart test called an ECG and a blood test to measure the levels of a protein called troponin