Cardiac Biomarkers and Clinical Decision Making

New video discusses the importance of cardiac biomarkers

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In this video, hear from a former operating engineer at the White House who, despite an active lifestyle and basic good health, experienced sudden heart failure. In the context of his healthcare journey, the video highlights the role of cardiac biomarkers in clinical decision making and the diagnosis of a heart attack.

Diagnosed with advanced coronary artery disease, the patient underwent cardiac bypass surgery and was enrolled in a biomarker study during his postoperative course of treatment. “There’s no doubt that biomarkers have completely transformed how we care for our patients in cardiovascular medicine,” says the patient’s cardiologist.

The Growing Impact of Cardiac Biomarkers in Clinical Chemistry.

Clinical chemistry measurements and calculations take into account an expansive set of analytes that reflect cardiac, liver, kidney, and other biological functions. Several of these discrete analytes are considered biomarkers, defined by Strimbu and Tavel as “a broad subcategory of medical signs [that are] objective indications of medical state observed from outside the patient which can be measured accurately and reproducibly.” In the case of cardiac biomarkers, the most common analytes are creatine kinase (CK), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and troponin (TNI). There are pros and cons to using these common chemistry tests as definitive cardiac biomarkers. However, other chemistry analytes and even some non-laboratory tests have been identified as potential cardiac biomarkers. Providing clinicians with accurate and thorough testing is important in contributing to diagnosis and ultimately to positive patient outcomes.

Read more: The Growing Impact of Cardiac Biomarkers in Clinical Chemistry.

Source: MedicalLaboratoryObserver

Heart Attack or Heartburn? Differences Between Types of Chest Pain

Anyone worried about chest pain should not wait to get urgent medical care. They should call for an ambulance straight away, especially if the pain is unexplained, sudden, or severe.

Heart attack pain is caused when one of the arteries supplying the heart becomes blocked. Angina is a similar chest pain caused when these arteries are narrowed by heart disease.

Heartburn is a burning pain often felt in the upper belly or lower chest. It is caused by stomach acid going back up the food pipe.

Read more: Heart Attack or Heartburn? Differences Between Types of Chest Pain

A heart attack is when there is a loss of blood supply to part of the heart muscle. Though the pain is
located in the chest, heartburn is not related to the heart in any way. Angiography, passing dye into
the heart circulation, is one way doctors test for heart attack.

Source: medicalnewstoday

Electrical Immunosensor Detects Acute Myocardial Infarction

Heart disease and especially acute myocardial infarction (AMI) are the leading causes of death for both men and women and therefore, a fast and reliable diagnosis of heart attack or cardiac episode are urgently needed.

The most commonly used biomarkers are creatine kinase-MB, myoglobin, cardiac troponin T, and cardiac troponin I (cTnI), which is a subunit of the troponin complex found in cardiac muscle and is a highly specific and sensitive biomarker for the clinical diagnosis of AMI.

Read more: Electrical Immunosensor Detects Acute Myocardial Infarction

The core material used for the new immunosensor that detects proteins in the blood stream following

a heart attack, providing results in just one minute (Photo courtesy of Ulsan National Institute of

Science and Technology).

Source: labmedica

How to Recognize a Heart Attack

Some absolutely crucial advice: how to recognize a heart attack one month before it happens

Did you know that the main cause of early death in the US are heart attacks? The stressful way of life and the junk food we keep eating is a great contributor for this illness becoming so common and so dangerous over the last years.

Leading a healthy lifestyle and trying to decrease the levels of stress in your life can help protect you from heart failure, but another thing that can be very useful, even lifesaving, is knowing the symptoms of heart failure a month before it happens.

These are the symptoms that you might have a heart attack in a month. Make sure you always treat these as red flags.

Read more: How to Recognize a Heart Attack

Source: brightside

Blood Vessel-Forming Protein Could Offer Alternative to Heart Bypass Surgery

For patients with severe coronary artery disease, heart bypass surgery can reduce the risk of heart attack and improve overall quality of life. Now, researchers report the possibility of a new treatment that may be even more beneficial, without the surgery.

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the most common form of heart disease in the United States, responsible for more than 370,000 deaths in the country every year.

The condition arises when plaque builds up in the coronary arteries, partially or fully blocking the flow of oxygen-rich blood to the heart muscle. This blockage can cause heart attack, angina - severe chest pain - and, over time, heart failure.

While lifestyle changes - such as adopting a healthy diet and regular physical activity - are considered key to improving CAD, some patients may require heart bypass surgery, which can help restore blood flow to the heart.

But, as with all surgery, it has its risks. These include chest wound infection, bleeding, stroke, heart attack, and kidney or lung failure.

Read more: Blood Vessel-Forming Protein Could Offer Alternative to Heart Bypass Surgery

Researchers say the protein AGGF1 could be a promising treatment for coronary heart disease and
heart attack.

Source: medicalnewstoday

Heart Transplantation Recipients Unaffected by Donor Troponin Levels

Many transplant centers routinely reject hearts if the donor’s blood test reveals elevated levels of troponin I, a protein found in heart muscle that enters the bloodstream when there is a heart attack or other heart muscle damage. Donors with previous heart disease are automatically excluded.

Heart transplantation is one of the greatest achievements in modern medicine and patients with advanced heart failure in whom survival is measured in weeks and months are offered the potential for survival of equal to or greater than 10 years with excellent quality of life.

Read more: Heart Transplantation Recipients Unaffected by Donor Troponin Levels

According to new research, a blood test that leads to donor hearts being rejected may not effectively
predict whether a heart transplant will succeed or fail (Photo courtesy of the AMA).

Source: labmedica

MCQ 6. A Male Patients with Proven Coronary Disease

MCQ 6. A very high percentage of male patients with proven coronary disease and/or raised lipid levels had an increased level of "pre-beta" lipoproteins in their blood.

What is also referred to as these lipoproteins?
a. HDL
b. VLDL
c. LDL
d. Lipo B

Answers

Omega-3 Fatty Acids Reduce Risk of Death From Heart Attack

Eating foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids may lower the risk of death from heart attack. This is the finding of new research published in JAMA Internal Medicine.

Each year, around 735,000 people in the United States have a heart attack, which occurs when a section of the heart fails to receive enough oxygen-rich blood.

Adopting a healthy diet is considered a key factor in reducing the risk of heart attack, and many studies have suggested that including omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids as part of such a diet is particularly beneficial for heart health.

Other studies, however, have questioned the heart benefits of omega-3s, with some suggesting that fish oil supplements - a major source of the fatty acids - do not lower the risk of heart-related events.

Read more: Omega-3 Fatty Acids Reduce Risk of Death From Heart Attack

Eating foods rich in omega-3 may reduce the risk of death from heart attack, say researchers.

Source: medicalnewstoday

Heart Attack Patients Are Getting Younger and More Obese.

Young people tend to feel invincible to danger, but they're not, especially when it comes to their heart health. One of the most common misconceptions about heart health is that older people are the only ones who need to worry. 

Patients who suffer from the most severe and deadly type of heart attack, STEMI, are getting younger and more obese, according to Dr. Samir Kapadia, professor of medicine and section head for interventional cardiology at Cleveland Clinic.

"On the whole, the medical community has done an outstanding job of improving treatments for heart disease, but this study shows that we have to do better on the prevention side," said Kapadia in a statement. "When people come for routine checkups, it is critical to stress the importance of reducing risk factors through weight reduction, eating a healthy diet, and being physically active." He presented his research at the American College of Cardiology's 65th Annual Scientific Session.

Read more: Heart Attack Patients Are Getting Younger and More Obese.

Video link: Younger obese people are at risk of getting heart attacks!

Source: HealthDay

Loneliness, Isolation Enhance CHD and Stroke Risk

YORK, UK — Although past research has shown a link between impaired social relationships and premature mortality, a new meta-analysis suggests there may also be a significant association with increased risk for coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke.

The review of 23 papers and 181,006 total patients showed a 29% increased risk for incident CHD for those who had poor social connections, shown through loneliness and social isolation measurements, compared with those with better connections. The lonely and isolated patients also had a 32% increased risk for stroke.

The investigators, led by Dr Nicole K Valtorta (University of York, UK), note that loneliness often contributes to impaired coping methods, isolation affects self-efficacy, and both have been associated with decreased physical activity and increased smoking.

They add that future studies are needed to assess whether targeting these social characteristics "can help to prevent two of the leading causes of death and disability in high-income countries." But for now, "health practitioners have an important role to play in acknowledging the importance of social relations to their patients."

Read more: Loneliness, Isolation Enhance CHD and Stroke Risk

Source: trinesty

Cardiovascular Disease Diagnostics and Testing

Current and emerging cardiac markers signal improved testing for better patient outcomes

Cardiovascular diseases continue to be the leading cause of death in the United States, responsible for nearly 800,000 deaths annually—or about one in every three deaths. Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women, claiming the lives of about 610,000 Americans each year.1Coronary artery disease is the most common type of heart disease, killing more than 370,000 people annually.

In addition, about 5.1 million people in the United States have heart failure.2About half of the people who develop heart failure die within 5 years of diagnosis. In 2009, one out of every nine deaths included heart failure as a contributing cause. Heart failure costs the nation an estimated $32 billion each year.

In light of such dire statistics, it’s no wonder that achieving speedy diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction (AMI)—heart attack—remains a significant concern in emergency departments throughout the nation. Early triage of patients to rule-in or rule-out AMI is challenging. For many years, testing for the presence of the regulatory proteins troponin I or troponin T—both released into the bloodstream when the heart muscle has been damaged—has been the gold standard for diagnosing AMI. But recent reports have indicated that the latest generation of high-sensitivity troponin tests can increase diagnostic efficiency and improve early diagnosis of myocardial infarction.

Read more: Cardiovascular Disease Diagnostics and Testing

Alere’s troponin I test is a cartridge-based high-sensitivity immunoassay.

Source: clpmag

Testosterone therapy by Shots and Gel Protects Men With Coronary Artery Disease from Heart Attack Risks.

Last year, the Food and Drug Administration required manufacturers of testosterone products to add new label information warning of a possible increased risk of heart attacks and strokes. A new study suggests this may be both unnecessary and unhealthy for some men. Testosterone therapy or T therapy helped men with preexisting coronary artery disease reduce their risks of strokes, heart attacks, and even death.

In fact, the men who did not receive testosterone as part of their treatment were 80 percent more likely to suffer an adverse event, such as a heart attack, than those taking T.

Testosterone is a sex hormone that is commonly thought to regulate sex drive, bone mass, fat distribution, muscle mass and strength, and to be responsible for the production of sperm and red blood cells in men. As men age, they generally make less testosterone at a rate of about 1 to 2 percent per year. A man in his 70s may have half the testosterone he had at age 20.

Though this may be normal, some men feel the effects more strongly than others. Low testosterone levels may contribute to depression, decreased bone density, increased body fat, insomnia, and diminished sexual desire.

Read more: Testosterone therapy by Shots and Gel Protects Men With Coronary Artery Disease from Heart Attack Risks.

Source: medicaldaily