South Korea makes heart defect detection devices

Korean scientists have created a simple thermometer-like device that can help doctors diagnose low-cost myocardial infarction.

Device for detecting heart failure

According to the NDTV (India) television channel, researchers at the Pohang University of Science and Technology observed that the process of diagnosing a common heart attack involves measuring the concentration of a protein called troponin in the patient's blood.

Heart defibrillator-style device (photo: NDTV)

Because troponin levels are often increased when the blood supply to the heart is cut and the muscles are injured . However, this diagnostic process is quite expensive due to the heavy machinery involved.

Inspired by the thermometer, expert Sangmin Jeon and colleagues invented the same device for the detection of troponin.

Jeon explained that the process involved a glass vial, a special nanoparticle, a drop of ink and a tube.

When human serum with troponin is mixed with nanoparticles and placed in a vial, the ink stream increases in the tube and is readable to the naked eye, just as the thermometer works.

The researchers concluded that with the support of new devices, the number of deaths related to heart disease is greatly reduced, especially in places where poverty, often difficult to 'purchase ' expensive diagnostic machines.

The research is published in the journal Analytical Chemistry.