A blood test can predict whether patients are likely to die of a heart attack in the month after surgery, according to an international study involving thousands of patients. The researchers, including a group from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, found that the test could predict risk of death when given during the first three days after an operation. The blood test measures levels of the heart protein troponin. Elevated troponin levels, an indicator of heart muscle damage, were linked to unexpected cardiac problems and death in the 30 days following non-cardiac surgery.
