In the past, cardiologists could do little to predict or prevent acute cardiac events because traditional testing only detects advanced cardiovascular disease. But the field of cardiology is changing as the focus moves toward preventive testing earlier in life. One of the methods for early detection is the Protein Unstable Lesion Signature (PULS) test, a cutting-edge diagnostic tool that is performed with a simple blood test.

 The PULS test, developed by GD Biosciences, is a simple blood test that identifies individuals with undetected coronary heart disease who are at risk of experiencing a heart attack. The test measures the body’s immune response to arterial or endothelial injury. These injuries, through a process of continuous arterial injury and repair, cause cardiac lesions to form on the artery walls. This can happen without any outward signs or symptoms, and can happen in people with no known risks for cardiovascular disease.

 If an arterial lesion ruptures, the result is a heart attack. It is believed that these lesions cause up to 75 percent of all cardiac events, even though the traditional belief has been that narrowing of the arteries was to blame. In fact, cardiologists have long focused on cholesterol buildup as the primary player in cardiovascular disease, but the trend is moving toward a focus on inflammation.

 In fact, a 2009 study by Sachdeva, et al., published in the American Heart Journal, looked at more than 130,000 patients hospitalized with coronary artery disease and found that more than 50 percent of them had normal cholesterol levels. This indicates that cholesterol is not necessarily useful for prediction of cardiac events.  

 The PULS test goes beyond traditional cholesterol testing by using nine clinically-significant protein biomarkers to detect and diagnose arterial injury. This allows the physician to calculate a patient’s personalized five-year prognosis of heart attack and a “Heart Age” showing the patient’s Cardiac Risk Score relative to their age and gender group. Once physicians have this predictive information, they can guide patients toward preventative action early on, when it is most effective, to potentially prevent death or disability.

 The PULS test won the 2016 ABBY Award for Innovation in Healthcare. Results from ongoing studies by the American College of Cardiology and others were presented at the 2017 American Heart Association Scientific Sessions. They all seem to be concluding that the new methodology marks a significant improvement over traditional methods in identifying subclinical coronary artery disease.

Earlier detection and prevention are always the keys to better outcomes, so the PULS test is a huge step forward toward more effective prevention of cardiovascular deaths.

Yale R Smith, MD, is the owner of The Center for Anti-Aging Aesthetic and Rejuvenation Medicine - in Viera. For more information on PULS testing visit AntiAgingIM.com/puls-cardiac-test-florida/ or call 321-421-7111.