New Test Can Help ER Doctors Determine Heart Attack Odds

Emergency room doctors can now utilize a highly sensitive test to determine whether patients who come in with chest pains are likely to have heart attacks.

The test can detect troponin, a protein in muscle tissue. The higher the levels of troponin, the more likely it is that the person will have a heart attack. If troponin isn't present, the odds are much lower.

Researchers are reporting that the new test could also help physicians monitor patients who present with chest pains but no heart attack symptoms in the hours after being admitted to a hospital.

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