Heart attack-diagnosis: New rapid test procedure for reliable infarct detection
What is the 1-hour Troponin Test can?
The heart attack is the most common cause of death in Germany. About 49,000 people die each year in this country. 220.000 be Affected per year in German hospitals due to a heart attack treated. Add to this a high number of unreported cases, because not all heart attack patients to know that you had a heart attack. Other patients think, however falsely, that you have a heart attack, without this, would actually be the case. Not always the symptoms are clear. A new rapid test is now to ensure a faster and safer treatment for heart attack.
The German Foundation for heart research (DSHF) tested with the support of the German heart Foundation, successfully a new test method called the 1-hour Troponin Test in the diagnosis of a heart attack for 1,500 high-risk patients. The Test detects within an hour whether a heart attack is present or not. This is crucial for the further treatment of the Affected.
A heart attack can have many faces
The heart experts and heart experts from the German heart Foundation reports, may show a heart attack in different ways. Many Sufferers complain of burning and oppressive chest pain associated with a feeling of Tightness. Others describe her symptoms as radiating pain extending from the breast bone, arms, shoulder blades, neck, jaw and upper abdomen. In addition, Monitoring can occur symptoms such as excessive sweating, Nausea and shortness of breath. In some patients, less obvious symptoms show themselves.
Likelihood of confusion
Many of the symptoms associated with a heart attack, can also indicate other diseases. “The faster and safer the existing disease can be diagnosed, the faster the appropriate treatment can be carried out and the greater the healing prospects for the patients”, explains head physician Professor Dr. med. Willibald high-Holzer in a press release of the new diagnostic method. So far, Doctors primarily use an electrocardiogram to analyze the heart flows. However, this was not the Central criterion, a heart attack diagnosis.
A protein know complex heart damage
The heart specialists declare that you can only make on the basis of the so-called Troponins is a reliable diagnosis. It is a protein complex that helps the heart muscle cells in the contraction and so the heart fulfilled its role as a blood pump. These muscle cells receive as a result of an Attack to the lack of oxygen, is distributed in the Troponin into the blood. According to the German heart Foundation this also happens in other diseases in which the heart is damaged, such as, for example, in the case of a pulmonary embolism, septic shock, or in the case of certain heart rhythm disorders. “These patients are going through, due to a relative lack of oxygen, is also a kind ,infarction without Vascular occlusion, a so-called myocardial infarction, type 2”, explains Professor high-Holzer.
Each infarction requires the right treatment
According to the underlying cause, the proper treatment is chosen. It speaks of a heart-attack is meant in first line of myocardial infarction type 1. This must be treated as quickly as possible, by the affected coronary open a jar immediately with a balloon and a stent (Stent) is implanted. “The Test works excellently for the exclusion of myocardial infarction, even in high-risk patients,” says the Professor with the test results.
How does the 1-hour Troponin Test?
In the Test, the existing Troponin is measured in the blood. The so-called 1-hour Troponin-diagnosis algorithm detects within an hour, if, in fact, a heart attack is present or not. The new Test is recommended in the current guidelines of the European society of cardiology (ESC) for patients with suspected heart attack. Currently, the Test should be improved so that it can delimit a history of myocardial infarction type 1 from a myocardial infarction type 2. (vb)