Troponin Test Could Identify 'Missed' Heart Attacks

[Reesacat]

If you have a heart attack,
this unknown test could save your life


Heart attacks remain the number one killer of Americans. You can prevent heart attacks easily by reading and following the information you read in these pages. However, if you do get symptoms of a heart attack (chest pain, shortness of breath, feeling of dread, etc.), it's vital your doctor know if what happened is really a heart attack.
When you go to the hospital thinking you've had a heart attack, you'll go through multiple tests in the ER. These include EKG and cardiac enzymes. However, sometimes, even these tests are not enough. A new test is available that picks up "missed" heart attacks.

Troponin is a protein found in heart cells. If you have a heart attack it damages these cells. This damage causes them to leak out into your blood. There, your doctor can measure the protein in your blood. Use of this blood test could help doctors pick up an additional 25% of heart attacks missed by conventional EKG and blood tests.
You might ask why this is so important when I'm not a fan of hospitals. There's a time and place for everything, including the modern hospital. Trauma is one. Heart attacks are another. Many people with heart attack die, not because of pump failure, but from electrical disturbances. Your doctor must monitor this closely during the first three days, when the disturbances are most common. The good news is that unlike pump failure, you can both prevent and treat these electrical disturbances.

So, it's most important to know if you've really had a heart attack. If you did, and the ER couldn't diagnose it, they may send you home, where you could collapse soon after from a rhythm problem. If you suspect you've had a heart attack, please ask your doctor for a troponin test. It could save your life


Yours for better health and medical freedom,
http://securepubs.com/graphics/rowen_sig.gif

Dr. Robert Rowen
Second Opinion Newsletter
September 25, 2009
www.secondopinionnewsletter.com (http://www.secondopinionnewsletter.com)

[Aaltrude]

If you have a heart attack,
this unknown test could save your life


However, sometimes, even these tests are not enough. A new test is available that picks up "missed" heart attacks.

If this is "new" and "unknown" then how come I know of people who have had this test as long ago as 2001?

[mellowsong]

I'm really beginning to not like Dr. Rowen as he frequently has off the wall stuff like this. Troponin testing has been around a long time now and is the standard of care for anyone being seen for chest pain or any possible symptoms of a heart attack. It is far from unknown and certainly NOT new! Where has this guy been for at least the last 10 years???

[Reesacat]

I thought it had been around for a while, also-but maybe in some areas of the country it's not routine? I put it out just to let people know.

[mellowsong]

I thought it had been around for a while, also-but maybe in some areas of the country it's not routine? I put it out just to let people know.

I was railing at Dr. Rowen using "new and unknown", not you :) It's been the standard of care for years which basically means if you have an ER and take chest pain patients, you need to be able to run it even if you are in the middle of nowhere or be able to send the blood to somewhere that can run it.

Troponin is actually done done up to 3 times because it can take up to 24 hours to be elevated. It is done initially; if normal, repeated 8 hours later, if still normal; 8 hours later.

[Reesacat]

I had thought the same thing-it was replacing some of the old cardiac enzyme tests like LDH, etc. However, even though WV is a small state we are one of the heart attack capitols in the USA and our cardiac is fairly current. So I didn't know about smaller towns, etc.
Thanks Mellowsong:)