Dr. Bruce Liang The health world recently laid hands on a novel predictor of heart attack. Health Center cardiologists suggest that when a protein fragment is detected in the blood it provides a warning signal for heart attack. The research also discovered a probable biomarker of heart attack.

Heart attack patients presumably have increased levels of the protein fragment in their blood. Apoptosis or a particular kind of cell death supposedly triggers damage to heart muscle. It was suggested that a simple blood test can seemingly foretell the threat of experiencing a heart attack. Also unique treatments for blocking apoptosis may aid in treating as well as preserving heart muscle and cardiac function.

The test can be possibly applied to diagnose heart attack and develop new treatments. Dr. Bruce Liang, director of the Pat and Jim Calhoun Cardiology Center, who led the investigation and colleagues believe that the findings can be extremely beneficial for classifying individuals at a risk of heart attack.

The research is published online and in the January 11 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.