Scientists have developed a new heart attack detection test that will tell in just 10 minutes whether the chest pain is due to a heart attack or some other reason. This will make it easier to save the patient’s life in cardio vascular cases.
Recently the European Society of Cardiology has published research. This new preliminary research says that the presence of a protein biomarker through a normal saliva test can now detect cardiovascular problems in just 10 minutes. If this prototype test is recognized, it can dramatically make it easier to save a patient’s life in cardiovascular cases. Indeed, a myocardial infarction, commonly called a heart attack, rapidly increases the level of a protein called troponin in the patient’s bloodstream. But in most cases, it is often not easy to identify a heart attack. Common signs such as chest pain, nausea, and fatigue may be symptoms. So when a patient arrives at an emergency unit with these symptoms, doctors quickly perform a blood test to measure troponin levels. This blood test usually takes about an hour. These 60 minutes are the Golden Hour for anyone struggling with a heart attack or cardiovascular problem.
Speed of measuring troponin levels accelerates
A simple and rapid troponin test is very much needed for emergency patients with chest pain in any hospital. Author Rui Westreich of Soroka University Medical Center in Israel says that troponin testing currently uses blood samples. But the new heart attack detection test that we have developed is only able to tell us in a preliminary investigation that saliva is caused by heart attack or is there some other problem. This will make it easier to save the patient’s life. This research developed while taking commercially available troponin blood tests and finding ways to adapt them to detect proteins in saliva samples. A novel processing procedure was developed to remove many superfluous proteins from salivary samples. Author Rui Westreich says that we have confirmed the heart attack in 32 patients by confirming the blood troponin protein in saliva samples of patients with severe chest pain. In addition, saliva samples were also compared to 13 healthy people.
Initial results were successful in the investigation
The initial results were superb and gave absolutely accurate information about the heart attack. Troponin protein was found to be 84 percent in saliva samples found from heart attack patients. Troponin levels were not found in only six percent of saliva samples. This test proves that this novel processing procedure is important in focusing saliva samples for effective results. However, it is not yet clear how this process works and how easy and inexpensive it will become.
A heart attack will be detected in 10 minutes
Researchers say that this new technology can tell in just 10 minutes whether the person has had a heart attack or not. Will take This technique can prove to be very useful and life-saving for those who are already surrounded by cardiovascular diseases or those who are older and fall in the scope of a heart attack. Researchers say that this test will eventually work like any pregnancy test which will give negative or positive results in minutes.
Westrich says further research is still needed to determine how long the presence of cardiac troponin in patients’ saliva lasts after a heart attack. Apart from this, we also need to know how many patients will be misdiagnosed by a heart attack and in many cases there is a possibility of lapse. This new research was recently presented at the European Society for Cardiology Annual 2020 Congress.