LabMedica

Download Mobile App
Recent News Expo Clinical Chem. Molecular Diagnostics Hematology Immunology Microbiology Pathology Technology Industry Focus

Handheld Device Detects Heart Attacks

By LabMedica International staff writers
Posted on 15 Jun 2016
Print article
Image: The new Minicare I-20 handheld device detects proteins in the blood stream following a heart attack, providing results in just 10 minutes (Photo courtesy of Philips Healthcare).
Image: The new Minicare I-20 handheld device detects proteins in the blood stream following a heart attack, providing results in just 10 minutes (Photo courtesy of Philips Healthcare).
A new handheld blood test device is able to rapidly diagnosis heart attacks at the point of care, and has been specifically designed for use in emergency departments to dramatically reduce the time physicians take to diagnose heart attacks.

For patients presenting at emergency departments with chest pains, the device can be used to administer an immediate test, with results delivered while the patient is being assessed and a medical history taken and this reduces the time for the physician to decide on treatment.

The new system works by measuring the level of cardiac troponin I (cTnI), a protein that is excreted by the heart muscle into the blood following a heart attack. Current guidelines for the diagnosis of myocardial infarction require blood test results of the biomarker cardiac troponin for the 90% of patients who present at the emergency department (ED) with chest pain but are not diagnosed by an electrocardiogram (ECG). Physicians often have to wait up to six hours before it can be decided if they can safely discharge the patients or if they need to admit them into the hospital for further tests.

The use of device, called the Minicare I-20 cTnI (Philips Healthcare, Amsterdam. The Netherlands) supports a reduction of the diagnostic protocol by up to three hours. Each blood test has dedicated software and a single use, disposable cartridge containing the application-specific test. The technology has been designed to detect multiple target molecules at low concentrations within the same blood sample and to show the results on the device's display within minutes. For high-risk cardiac patients, such as those with Acute Coronary Syndrome, fast triage and rapid initiation of treatment are critical in order to improve patient outcomes and to save lives. Only 10% of chest pain patients can be diagnosed using an ECG. The rest need to rely on additional cardiac marker testing for the diagnosis of myocardial infarction.

Paul O Collinson MA MB BChir FRCPath MD FACB FRCP, the Consultant Chemical Pathologist and Professor of. Cardiovascular Biomarkers, at St. George's University Hospitals (London, UK,), said, “Blood samples are usually analyzed in the hospital laboratory, which can easily take more than an hour to get the result back to the ED physician. Point-of-care testing can significantly help to reduce the turnaround time.”

Related Links:
Philips Healthcare
St. George's University Hospitals

Platinum Member
COVID-19 Rapid Test
OSOM COVID-19 Antigen Rapid Test
Magnetic Bead Separation Modules
MAG and HEATMAG
Complement 3 (C3) Test
GPP-100 C3 Kit
Gold Member
ADAMTS-13 Protease Activity Test
ATS-13 Activity Assay

Print article

Channels

Hematology

view channel
Image: The CAPILLARYS 3 DBS devices have received U.S. FDA 510(k) clearance (Photo courtesy of Sebia)

Next Generation Instrument Screens for Hemoglobin Disorders in Newborns

Hemoglobinopathies, the most widespread inherited conditions globally, affect about 7% of the population as carriers, with 2.7% of newborns being born with these conditions. The spectrum of clinical manifestations... Read more

Immunology

view channel
Image: The AI predictive model identifies the most potent cancer killing immune cells for use in immunotherapies (Photo courtesy of Shutterstock)

AI Predicts Tumor-Killing Cells with High Accuracy

Cellular immunotherapy involves extracting immune cells from a patient's tumor, potentially enhancing their cancer-fighting capabilities through engineering, and then expanding and reintroducing them into the body.... Read more

Microbiology

view channel
Image: The T-SPOT.TB test is now paired with the Auto-Pure 2400 liquid handling platform for accurate TB testing (Photo courtesy of Shutterstock)

Integrated Solution Ushers New Era of Automated Tuberculosis Testing

Tuberculosis (TB) is responsible for 1.3 million deaths every year, positioning it as one of the top killers globally due to a single infectious agent. In 2022, around 10.6 million people were diagnosed... Read more