Emil Katz, the founder and CEO of Novamed, a startup based in Israel, has created a device that can change how heart attacks are prevented. Called SensAheart, the device can predict a heart attack before it happens.
SensAheart Can Predict A Heart Attack
Similar to a blood sugar test, a nurse pricks a patients finger, places a drop of blood on a testing strip, and waits 5 minutes for the results. The device analyzes the presence of proteins, Troponin and FABP3, which can indicate the onset of a heart attack.
The tests seem to bring faster results, whereas existing results can take up to 6 hours.
SensAheart can then determine if the patient can relax or needs to be rushed to the emergency room. Positive results will show two lines on the testing strip, which means the patient should receive immediate medical attention.
Inspiration Behind SensAheart
Katz was inspired to create SensAheart after close friends and family members died from heart attacks. Some of his friends experienced heart attack symptoms for days, which pushed Kat to do some extensive research. He found that many people died from a heart attack even before getting medical attention.
Heart attacks are the No.1 killer in the United States. More than 610,000 people die from heart disease each year, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The goal of SensAheart is to sense a heart attack before it happens or while it's occurring. This way, medical professionals can help take the necessary measures before it's too late. Detecting the symptoms of a heart attack can help save someone's life.
"Since Myocardial infarctions can take days to develop, sometimes people are not able to recognize the symptoms and continue to function normally whilst in the middle of a heart attack. This, in turn, makes the problem more and more acute as the infarction progresses," said Aviv Dan Medical. "It's the best way that we can best avoid fatal heart attacks and it is the way that Israel was able to move cardiac disease from the number one spot as its deadliest killer."
Katz said the device will cost less than $30. This saves a couple hundred dollars from taking an ambulance to the emergency room.
The SensAheart device is currently available to medical professionals in Europe and Israel. Katz is now aiming to get the product in the United States; however, it may take longer than expected.
