Blood test detects more heart attacks

EDINBURGH, Scotland, March 26 (UPI) -- A blood test detected heart attacks in one-third more patients admitted to a hospital with chest pain than previous tests, researchers in Scotland.

Dr. Nicholas Mills of the British Heart Foundation Centre for Cardiovascular Science at the University of Edinburgh says the test identifies heart muscle damage in more patients and, as a result of the more sensitive test results, more patients were more likely to see a specialist and receive better heart treatment.

The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found after the test was introduced at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh the risk of being readmitted to the hospital, or dying from another heart attack within the following year, was cut in half.

"Unfortunately, the use of outdated diagnostic thresholds for troponin -- when patients have chest pain a blood test measures the protein troponin which is released when heart cells are damaged during a heart attack -- continues to be widespread," Mills said in a statement. "We provide compelling evidence that adopting a more sensitive test and lowering the threshold for detection of heart muscle damage is appropriate and will substantially improve the outcome of patients with chest pain and suspected heart attack."