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1.3.2 Diagnosis by Invasive Procedures

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There are many invasive procedures in use, including surgical interventions. Tens of millions of invasive procedures are performed on patients worldwide almost every year [3].

One of the invasive tests for heart conditions is blood tests. Within the scope of blood tests, cardiac enzymes, C-reactive protein (CRP), fibrinogen, homocysteine, lipoproteins, triglycerides, brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), and prothrombin values are checked. Blood tests can confirm whether a heart attack has occurred, the extent of damage can be predicted, future risk can be found, and general information on blood clotting can be obtained [4].

One of the tests that should be considered within the scope of blood tests is the troponin test, which is a method that can determine the risk of heart attack in healthy individuals. What is tested is the amount of troponin protein that is released when the heart muscle is damaged. Based on this measurement, the cases likely to have a heart attack in the coming years can be predicted.

Another invasive technique is known as heart catheterization. The inside of the heart and blood vessels are imaged using special x-rays called angiograms. A thin hollow tube, a catheter, is guided through a blood vessel in the arm, groin, or neck toward the heart. Dye is injected into the blood vessels through the catheter, thus enhancing the image quality of the x-ray. This process takes 2–3 hours on average and, through angiography, can lead to an understanding of what caused the chest pain – angiography can reveal both the obstruction in the vessels and the problem in the heart valves and, in addition, can measure the blood pressure and oxygen content within the heart [4].

Since angiography has some limitations, non-invasive methods such as smart calculation algorithms are also frequently used and better results can sometimes be obtained.

Predicting Heart Failure

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