Simple Prick May Save Your Life from a Heart Attack

A biomedical micro-device to detect these subtle changes in blood before a heart attack or stroke takes place has been developed by a University of Sydney biomedical engineer, Dr. Arnold Lining Ju. This discovery was published in the Royal Society of Chemistry.

Can a Heart Attack be Detected Before it Happens?

Approximately 55,000 people suffer a heart attack in Australia each year, with a similar number suffering from a stroke. Many are caused by blood clots that block the flow of blood to the heart, often in ’at-risk’ individuals without any physical warning.

However, long before a heart attack or stroke occurs, tiny changes in the blood begin taking place. Often, blood flow is disturbed, leading to blood clotting and inflammation, which can block blood vessels.

Heart Attack Detection Using New Device

Using a pin-prick test, the micro-device would take a blood sample from a person’s finger. The sample would then be analyzed for platelet clotting and white cell inflammation responses, information that would be immediately processed by an external operating system.

Heart Attack - Overview
Heart attack is the death of the heart muscle due to loss of blood supply. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. Other names for heart attack include acute myocardial infarction, coronary thrombosis, and coronary occlusion.

‘A micro-device analyzed a blood sample from a person’s finger using an external operating system to detect the early signs of a heart attack.’

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The University’s School of Biomedical Engineering’s new facilities will enable further engineering development for the microdevice, which is predicated on an integrated microfluidic chip.

Researchers are working to build highly sensitive computational fluid dynamics simulations to better understand the impact of mechanical forces that could lead to blood pooling and clots.

Biomedical engineering student Yunduo Charles Zhao said: “Shortly, we plan to apply artificial intelligence to understand an individual’s blood work to create a personalized blood profile of that person”.

Tips to Prevent Heart Attacks
Heart Attack occurs when the flow of oxygenated blood to heart muscles is hindered or stopped due to built-up of plaques in coronary arteries. Heart Attack is the No.1 killer among Indians.

Heart attacks appear to occur at random, sometimes without any physical symptoms; however, in fact, there are tiny physical changes that occur in the blood which are the key to this device is being able to sensitively monitor these microscopic changes.

Eating Grapes May Cut Down the Risk of Heart Attack and Stroke
A new study suggests that grapes decrease cholesterol, a fat-like substance that can clog blood vessels and lead to heart diseases.

Source-Medindia

Ultra-Processed Foods Increase Risk of a Second Heart Attack
High consumption of ultra-processed foods can increases the risk of a second heart attack or a fatal stroke. Follow a balanced diet early in life to prevent heart attacks or stroke. Consume fresh fruits and vegetables and low amounts of processed products.