Blood test
predicts death from heart problems after surgery
A blood
test can predict whether patients are likely to die of a heart attack in the
month after surgery, according to an international study involving thousands of
patients.
The
researchers, including a group from Washington University School of Medicine in
St. Louis, found that the test could predict risk of death when given during
the first three days after an operation. The blood test measures levels of the
heart protein troponin. Elevated troponin levels, an indicator of heart muscle
damage, were linked to unexpected cardiac problems and death in the 30 days
following non-cardiac surgery.
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