New hope for hearts

New hope for heart attack sufferers came out of the University of Calgary on Monday as researchers have uncovered new methods of visualizing damaged tissue that may prolong and enhance the quality of people’s lives.
Dr. Matthias Friedrich, along with counterparts in Berlin, conducted a clinical study that used an MRI scan to identify damaged heart tissue in the early stages of a heart attack to fast track treatments and potential therapies.
Early identification is paramount to treatment, he said.
“We can see the evolving injury before it’s irreversible, before death occurs in these cells,” Friedrich said of the study, the first of its kind.
“Most importantly, this can be done without the use of radiation, without the use of a dye, without any risk for the patient.”
Friedrich said a heart attack often announces itself days before, and that an MRI could find the problem and treatment could begin sooner than previously possible.
–neil.mackinnon@metronews.ca