The newer, sensitive tests give a much better way to tell who needs help fast. Each year, 15 million people in the United States and Europe go to emergency rooms with symptoms of a heart attack, but most are not truly suffering one.

Those having a heart attack need to have blocked arteries opened quickly to limit damage to the heart muscle from lack of blood.

Doctors currently have two main ways of diagnosing a heart attack. They can use an electrocardiogram, or EKG, to measure the electrical activity of the heartbeat for abnormalities. But that test is not always conclusive.

Doctors also use blood tests to detect elevated levels of a heart muscle protein known as troponin — a sign of heart muscle injury. A drawback with the older troponin tests is they take longer to detect increased troponin levels and by that time, heart damage may have already occurred.

Journal of Medicine found that the newer blood tests can improve early diagnosis of a heart attack soon after a person feels chest pain.

In one study, Doctors took blood samples from 718 patients who came into the emergency room with heart attack symptoms such as chest discomfort and shortness of breath. Doctors compared the accuracy of four of the new blood tests with an older test.

In the second study, researchers studied 1,818 people who came in with chest pain. Their troponin level was detected by a sensitive Siemens test and a conventional test.

In both cases, the accuracy of the newer tests was 94 to 96 percent compared with 85 to 90 percent for the older tests.

Several doctors said the new tests do not cost more than the older versions they are replacing, and are usually covered by insurance.

You diagnose heart attacks faster and you detect more people who are having heart attacks.

Further studies are needed to determine if earlier detection of heart injury results in more lives saved, the researchers said.

- By Roland Rex

Researchers insist that the differences in mortality risk appear to be attributable to factors such as severity and type of acute coronary syndrome (ACS).

There are three types of ACS, or heart attack that include unstable angina (worsening chest pain or chest pain at rest) that may progress to a heart attack; a less severe heart attack with partial or temporary blockages known as Non-ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI); or a more severe heart attack called ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) – caused by complete or a persistently blocked blood supply to the heart.

“Among STEMI or more severe heart attacks – 30 day mortality was significantly higher among women than men.

“For NSTEMI or less severe heart attacks and unstable angina women had lower 30 day mortality than men,” he added.

According to study authors, sex is an important factor in the study of ACS and should be considered in future research and delivery of care to men and women who present with ACS.

“This study shines a light on ACS in men and women. Studies like this have the ability to improve healthcare for men and women- helping physicians understand sex-differences in why heart attacks happen, and therefore target treatments more effectively and provide for better outcomes,” said Berger.

- By Brice Carl