Doctors evaluate different diagnostic tools for heart attack
People who survive a heart attack may buy Canadian Plavix in order to decrease their risk of a future clot-related event.
People who survive a heart attack may buy Canadian Plavix in order to decrease their risk of a future clot-related event. Recently, researchers from Germany evaluated the performance of several biomarkers in diagnosing a heart attack, potentially giving doctors more useful tools in guiding treatment and deciding who would benefit from medications such as Plavix.
In the interest of helping clinicians diagnose acute chest pain as quickly as possible, the team of scientists tested twelve biomarkers in more than 1,800 patients who experienced such pain. Among these biomarkers were highly sensitive troponin I (hsTnI) assay and contemporary troponin I (cTnI) assay, which both measured the level of a muscle tissue protein that becomes elevated at the onset of a heart attack.
Patients underwent screening upon admission, three and six hours later.
Between admission and the three-hour mark, the positive predictive value for hsTnl increased from about 75 to 96 percent. For cTnl, it was 81 to 96 percent, as published in JAMA.
"Use of hsTnI and cTnI assays in patients with suspected [heart attacks] provides useful diagnostic information," the researchers said.
Every year, about 785,000 Americans experience a heart attack for the first time, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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