A new trial led by researchers at the University of Edinburgh has revealed that a new blood test in emergency departments can spot more patients with injuries to their heart muscle, producing lower rates of future heart attacks and deaths.

Funded by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) and published in the BMJ journal, the new blood test could improve diagnosis for one in five patients who have a heart muscle injury.

In the UK, heart attacks are responsible for around 100,000 hospital admissions every year.

During a heart attack or heart injury stemming from other heart conditions, a protein known as troponin is released into the blood.

The new test detects very low levels of troponin more accurately than older versions of the tests, which have been used by doctors for years to help diagnose these conditions in people with chest pains and related symptoms.

Researchers analysed the results of nearly 50,000 people who arrived at ten different hospitals in Scotland between 2013 and 2016 with a suspected heart attack.

Using a data service known as DataLoch, researchers routinely collected health record data to follow up on all patients across five years.

The team discovered that over 10,000 patients had high levels of troponin, indicating heart injury, using the new high-sensitivity test to pick up more subtle warning signs.

Now rolled out across emergency departments in the UK, researchers hope that the new blood test could provide patients with the correct specialist heart care that they need to avoid more serious events in the future.

The lead author of the study, Dr Ken Lee, clinical lecturer in cardiology, University of Edinburgh, said: “This new high sensitivity test… [prompts clinicians] to look deeper… to identify and treat both heart attacks and less obvious heart problems.”

Professor Nilesh Samani, BHF medical director, commented: “The new test… is better at predicting long-term outcomes for these patients, whether they had a heart attack or a different kind of heart injury. This can lead to improved care for such patients.”

https://www.pmlive.com/pharma_news/new_blood_test_to_reduce_heart_attacks_and_death_rates_in_a_and_e_heart_patients_1504346