Detecting whether a heart attack has occurred

The article "Detecting whether a heart attack has occurred" discusses a new sensor created by MIT researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital's Cardiovascular Research Center. This implant, which measures 2 x 8 mm, is the first of its kind to detect three different kinds of proteins which peak in the blood after heart attacks. The sensor is shown below, in Figure 1.

Fig. 1: A blown-up picture of the actual device

This device is not only able to tell if a heart attack has occurred, but can also tell how severe a heart attack is. The sensor's output is actually proportional to the severity of the heart attack, which is important because 30% of heart attacks are asymptomatic. This sensor is able to diagnose if a heart attack actually occurred and how severe the heart attack is, which will allow physicians to administer the appropriate treatment to patients quickly.

One application of this technology in the future is detecting cardiovascular disease or even cancer. The fact that this device was able to detect three different biomarkers leads researchers to believe that in the future it may detect more biomarkers, maybe even those secreted by cancer cells. However, this technology has not yet been created, so it is up to future researchers to determine precisely which biomarkers need to be formed and what they are looking for.

Read the article here:

http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2011/cardiac-implant-0214.html