Faster heart attack detection device launched
2 Jun 2016 by Evoluted New Media
A new device has been released to inform clinicians if a patient has suffered a heart attack within a 10 minute period.
A new device has been released to inform clinicians if a patient has suffered a heart attack within a 10 minute period.
The Phillips Minicare I-20 measures cardiac troponin I (cTnl) levels, which are raised after a person suffers a heart attack. This greatly reduces the average time it takes to test a patient’s blood for cTnl. This point-of-care device means patients can receive their results while also having an electrocardiogram (ECG).
Dr Paul Collinson, consultant chemical pathologist at St George’s NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Blood samples are usually analysed 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.”
Only 10% of patients are able to find out if they have suffered a heart attack with the use of an ECG. The speed at which the Minicare-I20 can provide results means doctors can assess patients quicker and know whether they can be discharged safely or admitted to hospital. Clinical trials have shown the device to have results with a degree of accuracy comparable to laboratory testing.
Phillips intends to create more markers to test for other conditions as the machine is able to test for up to 12 different variables at once. These include other markers for cardiac and brain injury, bacterial or viral infections or pregnancy. Currently, Phillips is working on brain natriuretic peptide, an important biomarker linked to left ventricular dysfunction and heart failure levels.
The Minicare system has been released in the UK, Spain, Germany and Nordic countries.
