Heart attack test 'cuts hospital stays'
Posted: 08 Oct 2015, 10:04Heart attack test 'cuts hospital stays'
By James Gallagher Health editor, BBC News website
8 October 2015
A blood test can more than halve the number of people admitted to hospital with a suspected heart attack, say doctors.
They say the rapid test, which looks for a chemical in the blood, would reduce stress for patients, save money and ease pressure on hospital wards.
Trials on 6,304 people, published in the Lancet medical journal, suggested it was 99.6% accurate.
The British Heart Foundation said the test would produce faster answers without affecting patient safety.
About one million people attend A&E departments in the UK with chest pain, only for most of them to be sent home after a sometimes lengthy and anxious stay.
They have levels of troponin, a chemical released by damaged heart muscle, tested when they are admitted and again 12 hours later.
The new test also looks for troponin, but can detect much lower levels and needs to be done only once. So those given the all-clear can go straight home.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-34464484
By James Gallagher Health editor, BBC News website
8 October 2015
A blood test can more than halve the number of people admitted to hospital with a suspected heart attack, say doctors.
They say the rapid test, which looks for a chemical in the blood, would reduce stress for patients, save money and ease pressure on hospital wards.
Trials on 6,304 people, published in the Lancet medical journal, suggested it was 99.6% accurate.
The British Heart Foundation said the test would produce faster answers without affecting patient safety.
About one million people attend A&E departments in the UK with chest pain, only for most of them to be sent home after a sometimes lengthy and anxious stay.
They have levels of troponin, a chemical released by damaged heart muscle, tested when they are admitted and again 12 hours later.
The new test also looks for troponin, but can detect much lower levels and needs to be done only once. So those given the all-clear can go straight home.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-34464484