Developing a better blood test to diagnose heart attacks

Comparing the diagnostic and prognostic performance of myosin binding protein C to troponin I and troponin T in patients presenting with chest pain

Only about ten per cent of people in accident and emergency departments with chest pain will be having a heart attack. Professor Michael Marber is trying to find better ways to diagnose them. Currently, doctors identify heart attack patients by taking a detailed history, performing an examination, and then assessing the electrocardiogram (ECG) and the results of a blood test for a protein that leaks from the heart during damage, called troponin. But because troponin leaks slowly from heart muscle, waiting to see if its level is high in the blood can delay diagnosis. A troponin test is also not always reliable because the protein can be found in the blood of people with chronic heart disease who haven’t had a heart attack. Professor Marber and the team have discovered another protein that leaks from the heart after damage called cardiac myosin binding protein C (cMyC). It can be detected in the blood more quickly than troponin, meaning it may be possible to diagnose a heart attack sooner in people with chest pain. cMyC is also less likely to be detected because of chronic disease, preventing a false diagnosis of a heart attack. The team are comparing levels of troponin and cMyC in 2,500 people presenting with chest pain who have had a heart attack. They will find out if cMyC is more accurate and quicker to detect than troponin in those who have had a heart attack. The research could lead to a better blood test for heart attack so people can receive the right treatment, more quickly, improving their chances of recovery.