Pocket-Sized Device Can Test for Heart Attack Damage 

A report on the early warning signs of heart attacks from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention concluded that “47% of sudden cardiac deaths occur away from the hospital.”^[1]

Often, people suffering from attacks don’t recognize symptoms right away, or ignore them because hospital costs can range into the tens of thousands of dollars. But the time lapse between the onset of a heart attack and the treatment thereof can result in extensive damage to the heart—even death.

But a new, pocket-sized device created by Emil Katz, founder and CEO of Novamed, an Israeli life-sciences company, is making detection both easier and cost effective for cardio patients. During a heart attack, the body produces HFABP and troponin. Novamed’s device can scan and locate these antibodies in the blood in less than 5 minutes—that’s 5 hours and 55 minutes quicker that the 6 hours it typically takes for a lab!

The device is currently utilized in Israel and the UK, and Novamed is working to get it approved for U.S. use. However, it could take up to a decade before American citizens will see it on pharmacy shelves.

“The regulatory pathway for approval of such a device in the United States is daunting,” says Dr. Steven Nissen, Chairman of Cardiovascular Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic. “When you’re dealing with a life-threatening disorder, [a product developer] would need to invest an enormous amount of money in proving it was safe and effective, especially for home use.”^[2]

^[1] https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5106a3.htm

^[2] http://kplr11.com/2018/02/12/israel-develops-pocket-size-device-to-test-for-heart-attacks/