Low-Cost Novel Sensor Can Quickly Diagnose Heart Attack in Just 30 Minutes, Better Than Current Methods

When blood flow to the heart is blocked due to high cholesterol and high blood pressure, a heart attack could occur. It should be diagnosed immediately to save lives.

Now, News Medical Life Sciences reported that researchers from the University of Notre Dame's IDEA Center filed a patent application for their low-cost sensor that could diagnose a heart attack in less than 30 minutes, which is better than an echocardiogram.

New Sensor Can Diagnose Heart Attack in 30 Minutes

The team showed that the sensor targets three distinct types of microRNA (miRNA) to distinguish between an acute heart attack and a reperfusion injury. This ability to differentiate between inadequate blood flow and a reperfusion injury has not been recorded before.

"The current methods used to diagnose a heart attack are not only time-intensive, but they also have to be applied within a certain window of time to get accurate results," says paper lead author Pinar Zorlutuna. He noted that it is faster for the sensor to diagnose more than heart attacks without the timeline limitation because it targets three miRNA.

Paper-co-author Hsueh-Chia Chang also said that the technology in the sensor takes advantage of using miRNA compared to protein-based biomarkers, which are commonly targeted during diagnosis.

More so, its portability and cost-efficiency demonstrate the potential to improve diagnosing heart attacks and related issues in clinical settings in developing countries.

The authors of the paper have already filed for patent application and researchers from the IDEA Center of the University of Notre Dame are working on a possible startup company that would manufacture the new device.

Common Habits That May Cause Heart Attack

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention wrote on their website that a heart attack or myocardial infarction happens when there is an obstruction to the blood flow to the heart. The more time it is not treated, the greater the damage will be to the heart muscle.

Some risk factors could include family history and age, but a number of common habits can ultimately lead to a deadly event. Yahoo! Lifestyle, enumerated some of these everyday habits that increase the risk of a heart attack:

• Being Inactive- Exercise is one of the best things to do to maintain a healthy heart. Those who exercise regularly have better heart health and lower blood cholesterol. At least 150 minutes of exercise weekly is required to help manage blood cholesterol.
• Drinking Alcohol and Smoking- Drinking too much alcohol could negatively impact heart health because it increases blood pressure and leads to a high level of triglycerides in the body. Likewise, smoking is also a risk factor for developing heart diseases because chemicals from the cigarette increase the amount of cholesterol in the arteries.
• Eating Out Everyday- Dining out daily has a negative impact on heart health because people are more likely to make unhealthy food choices.
• Drugs- Using illicit drugs, such as cocaine or amphetamines, can trigger spasms on coronary arteries that could lead to a heart attack.

Check out more news and information on Heart Health in Science Times.