If a heart infarction is suspected, a fast diagnosis can save the life of the patient. At the annual conference of the German Cardiac Society in April 2010 a new system was launched that helps to evaluate the condition of a patient in an easy and reliable way: the cardiogoniometry (CGM) system.
In Germany, where the system was invented, each day about 10,000 patients with chest pain are send to hospital. The treatment of patients with chest pain caused by a heart infarction has been enhanced during the last years, leading to a decreasing mortality. An essential condition therefore is a fast and adequate diagnosis. The GP or cardiologist should be able to classify the cardiac reason for chest pain correctly.
Currently used methods can help in some cases only; e.g. the ECG shows clear indication for heart infarction in only 9% of all cases. Blood tests with troponin identify 15% of the patients having a heart infarction. Since troponin needs several hours to appear in the blood, a loss of time in early treatment occurs.
What is needed is an early, reliable and easy-to-use way of diagnosis. The CGM system offers new possibilities in this field. It evaluates the electric events in the heart in a three-dimensional way, considering time and space, by using only five electrodes attached in an orthogonal system. In 12s the data is collected and interpreted automatically, offering a stress-free examination to the patients.
In the annual conference of the German Cardiac Society, a first predictive study on CGM was presented. 200 patients with an unspecific ECG were examined, showing that cardiogoniometry is highly sensitive in identifying patients with acute cardiac problems. In critical situations it can offer large benefits to doctors and patients, helping to save lives.