New blood test could determine who has had a heart attack

While the majority of heart attacks are major events that require swift medical attention, others are so minor that they are barely noticeable. Yet, even a small cardiovascular event may significantly increase a person's risk of future heart attacks. Identifying individuals who have suffered heart attacks is key to a doctor's ability to provide a prescription to buy Plavix to reduce patients' future risk.

In order to improve diagnostic ability, a team of researchers from Loyola University recently developed a new blood test that may accurately identify individuals who have suffered heart attacks. The test looks for the presence of a protein known as cardiac myosin binding protein-C, or cMyBP-C.

The team's study showed that the majority of people who have suffered a minor heart attack have elevated levels of this protein in their blood.

Researchers pointed out that 60 to 70 percent of individuals admitted to the hospital for chest pain are not having a heart attack. This leads to wasted medical resources and increased costs.

However, a simple blood test to identify individuals who are actually experiencing a heart attack could help solve this problem, while also enabling doctors to accurately determine which patients require a prescription to buy Plavix.