Heart attack test developed

A new diagnostic test will help doctors evaluate if a person is having a heart attack within two to four hours. 

ARCHITECT STAT High Sensitive Troponin-I (hsTnI) may help doctors improve the diagnosis and prognosis of patients presenting with symptoms of a heart attack, which could be particularly beneficial for women, who are often under-diagnosed. 

Developed by Abbott, the hsTnI test is a two-step immunoassay to determine the presence of cardiac troponin in blood. The test uses chemiluminescent technology and measures the Relative Light Units (RLUs) of the reaction in the sample. A direct relationship occurs between the amount of cardiac troponin in the sample and the RLUs detected by the ARCHITECT instrument.

Cardiovascular disease is the most common cause of death in Ireland, accounting for 33 percent of all deaths. Almost 5,000 Irish women die from cardiovascular disease each year, and women are seven times more likely to die from heart disease than breast cancer. Women often show different symptoms from men when it comes to heart attacks, leading to more women being under-diagnosed and under-treated for heart attacks. 

Dr. Maria Fitzgibbon, Consultant and Head of the Clinical Biochemistry and Diagnostic Endocrinology Department at the Mater Misericordiae University and Mater Private Hospitals, Dublin, said, “While Abbott’s high sensitive troponin test benefits both men and women with earlier detection of an acute myocardial infarction, the significant increase in sensitivity of the assay has the potential to increase early diagnosis amongst women which is particularly important."

The hsTnI test will be used initially at the Mater Misericordiae University and Mater Private Hospitals, Dublin, and it is anticipated that it will be subsequently adopted at other key cardiology centres throughout Ireland.

Dr. Niall Mahon, Consultant Cardiologist, Mater Misericordiae University and Mater Private Hospitals, Dublin said, “"Use of this test may help physicians speed up the process whereby patients with suspected acute coronary syndromes are evaluated. Not only does this help physicians ensure that high-risk patients are identified and treated at the earliest opportunity, but also that low-risk patients can be reassured and discharged. This has obvious benefits for both patient care and resource utilisation,"