Blood Test May Give Early Warning on Heart Attack, Scripps Translational Science Institute Study

A simple blood test may be able to tell patients if they’re in imminent danger of having a heart attack, a new study suggests. Researchers compared blood samples of 50 heart attack patients with 44 healthy volunteers, and found a much higher level of abnormal circulating endothelial cells, or CECs, according to the study, published today by the journal Science Translational Medicine. Still, more study is needed before doctors can say with confidence that these abnormal cells are present before a heart attack occurs, said Barry Kaplan, vice chairman of cardiology for North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, New York, who wasn’t involved in the study.