Beckman Gets Approval for New Heart Test

Beckman Coulter Inc. said Friday that the Food and Drug Administration has given it clearance to market a test that helps diagnose and treat myocardial infarction--or heart attack--and cardiac muscle damage.

The Fullerton instrument and medical products company said in a news release that its Access AccuTnI test measures levels of cardiac troponin I, a protein released into the bloodstream following a heart attack.

The product is intended for use by hospitals in routine and emergency situations. The test can be run in about 12 minutes, making it one of the fastest cardiac tests on the market.

Access AccuTnI is one of 36 tests available in the United States on the Access platform, which performs other cardiac evaluations as well as tests for cancer, anemia, infectious diseases and fertility and thyroid problems.