Troponin T test for one-hour diagnosis of heart attack
Results from the TRAPID-AMI clinical study confirm a novel approach for a more rapid diagnosis of heart attack in patients with acute chest pain. The strategy is based on the cardiac troponin T high-sensitivity test (cTnT-hs) and reduces the observation time needed to rule-in or rule-out a heart attack from 3-6 hours to just 1 hour. It is well established that a fast and reliable diagnosis of heart attack is critical because every hour of delay from the onset of symptoms to treatment increases the mortality risk. Troponin is a heart muscle protein that is released into the blood stream during a heart attack. A limitation of the earlier generations of blood tests was the time required to detect the troponin release, sometimes requiring up to six hours with less sensitive troponin tests. The mortality rate of heart attacks is highest within hours of onset, so an early diagnosis and initiation of treatment greatly impacts outcome and potentially saves lives.
The Elecsys cardiac Troponin T high-sensitivity (cTnT-hs) test from Roche detects cardiac troponin which is the preferred biomarker for the diagnosis of heart attack in clinical practice. In combination with an electrocardiogram (ECG), it has become the gold standard for the diagnosis of heart attack. The high sensitivity of the Roche cTnT-hs assay in conjunction with this novel procedure significantly accelerates "rule-in" and "rule-out" decision-making, thereby maximizing the potential for effective treatment. At the same time, the faster decision-making may help to better manage the emergency room workload and related costs for healthcare systems.
