A Simple Finger Device Test Could Predict Future Heart Events

A noninvasive sensory finger test is highly predictive of a major cardiac event (such as a heart attack or stroke) for people who are considered to be at low or moderate risk, according to a new study.

The EndoPAT noninvasive finger test device measures the health of endothelial cells, which line the blood vessels and regulate normal blood flow. The device consists of digital recording equipment and two finger probes that look like large thimbles. For the test, which takes 15 minutes, probes are placed on each index finger and connected to a meter that measures blood flow. A standard blood pressure cuff is placed on one arm, and the arm without the cuff serves as the control. A reading of the fingers' blood flow rate begins, and then the blood pressure cuff on one arm is inflated for a few minutes and then deflated, allowing for three timed readings. The role of the inflated blood pressure cuff is to occlude and then release blood flow to assess reactive hyperemia (RH), the normal blood flow response that occurs when occlusion is released. A low RH signal, indicating a lower blood flow response, was found to be consistent with endothelial dysfunction and potentially impaired vascular health that may lead to or serve as a marker for future events. The EndoPAT finger test device is a product of Itamar Medical (Caesarea, Israel).

In a recent study conducted by researchers at the Mayo Clinic (Rochester, MN, USA) and Tufts-New England Medical Center (Boston, MA, USA) the device was used to test 270 patients between the ages of 42 and 66. These patients already knew that they had low-to-medium risk of experiencing a major heart event, based on their Framingham Risk Score, a commonly used risk predictor; 49% of these patients who went on to have a cardiac event had a low RH score, validating the test results for endothelium function. The study was presented at the American College of Cardiology annual scientific session, held during March 2009 in Orlando (FL, USA).

"The results of the study may help identify a discriminating tool beyond the Framingham Risk Score," said lead author of the study Amir Lerman, M.D., a cardiologist at Mayo Clinic. "And the results of these individual tests may help physicians change a patient's medications or recommend other therapies, so they don't have a heart attack or stroke later on."

Related Links:
Itamar Medical
Mayo Clinic
Tufts-New England Medical Center