FDA EXPANDS ACCESS TO RAPID HEART FAILURE TEST

A 15-minute blood test in your doctor’s office can aid in the diagnosis of heart failure

Story Summary:

Every year, millions of Americans end up in emergency rooms with symptoms of advanced heart failure, a potentially lethal condition. According to the American Heart Association, 5 million people live with heart failure and millions more don’t even know they have it.

Now, the FDA has said a 15-minute blood test can be safely and accurately used in a doctor’s office, to aid in the early diagnosis and assessment of heart failure, giving millions of more patients rapid access to diagnosis before heart failure becomes an emergency.

Well-suited for use in doctor’s offices, the Triageâ BNP Test can be preformed in about 15 minutes. The procedure involves placing a few drops of blood on a disposable test device, which is then inserted into a small, portable meter that scans the test device and measures the level of a hormone called BNP in a patient’s sample. Doctors have stated that early diagnosis and aggressive treatment for heart failure generally improve the health of patients. Currently, death from heart failure is outpacing the overall U.S. death rate.

Soundbites

• Shahriar Dadkhah, MD, MBA, FACP, FACC, FCCP, Assistant Clinical Professor at University of Illinois, School of Medicine and Midwest University (Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine), Director of Cardiology Research and Co-Director of the Chest Pain Center at St. Francis Hospital, Evanston, IL
• John A. Osborne, MD, Ph.D., FACC in Cardiovascular Physiology, COR Specialty Associates of North Texas Cardiology, Baylor Regional Medical Center at Grapevine, Los Colinas Medical Center, Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine, University of Texas at Arlington, Dallas, TX
• Dominic Taldone, Heart Failure Patient
• John Condon, Heart Failure Patient
• Kenneth Buechler, Ph.D., Biosite President and Chief Scientific Officer
• Norman Paradis, MD, Biosite Vice President, Medical Affairs

B-Roll Includes

• Doctor/patient examine
• BNP Test
• Manufacturing footage
• Ext. Biosite

VIDEO PROVIDED BY: "Biosite® Incorporated"