Korean scientists develop simple heart attack diagnosis device 심근경색 발병 가능성， 가정

Heart attacks are one of the leading causes of death here in Korea.
While they′re still difficult to treat， local scientists have developed a simple way to spot heart attacks before they happen.
Park Se－young has more.
This glass bottle can tell you if you′re headed for a heart attack.
Just drop in a blood sample and some hydrogen peroxide solution， … then close the lid.
Within five minutes， the indicator starts to rise， just like a thermometer.
The higher it climbs， the more likely you are to have a heart attack.
The device was developed by a team of researchers at Pohang University of Science and Technology， who found a way to measure a tell－tale protein in the blood.
When the heart muscle is damaged， a protein called Troponin makes its way into the bloodstream.
Specialized nanoparticles coat the inside of the glass bottle，...and when they combine with even very small amounts of the protein， they divide the hydrogen peroxide solution into water and oxygen.
The resulting oxygen then increases the pressure inside the bottle and raises the ink indicator in the tube.

″The ink indicator level， which takes five minutes to show， is proportional to the concentration of the cardiac marker protein.″
Previously， a diagnosis like this required pricey equipment and took about four hours.
This new device takes minutes and costs less than 20 cents.
In a research study published last month in the American Chemical Society′s journal， Analytical Chemistry， the bottle was labeled ″appropriate technology.″
That means emergency rooms and developing countries can start using it immediately， without having to wait for extensive testing.
Park Se－young， Arirang News.