A FIRST OF ITS KIND GENETIC BLOOD TESTS CAN DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT THERE IS A BLOCKAGE
IN YOUR HEART. KPBS SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY REPORTER PEGGY JOINS US WITH HOW THIS SIMPLE
TEST COULD SPARE PATIENTS FROM INVASIVE MEDICAL PROCEDURES.
SO WHAT IS A TRADITIONAL WAY DOCTORS FIGURE OUT IF THERE IS A BLOCKAGE IN THE HEART.
ONE OF THE MOST TRADITIONAL IS ANGIOGRAM THEY FLOOD IT INTO YOUR HEART FROM YOUR THIGH AND
THEY INJECT DYE AND LOOK FOR A BLOCKAGE.
IT IS INVASIVE.
AND COMES FROM SOME RISK SOME PEOPLE DIE FROM IT. IT IS NOT A PROCEDURE TO TAKE LIGHTLY.
WHAT IMPACT MIGHT THESE NEW BLOOD TESTS HAVE ON THE NUMBER OF ANGIOGRAMS PERFORMED EACH
YEAR?
THAT IS THE GOAL, 2 MILLION AMERICANS IN THE U.S. WHO GET ONE EACH YEAR SEVERAL STUDIES
HAVE SHOWN OVER 60% OF THOSE PEOPLE DON'T HAVE SIGNIFICANT BLOCKAGE MEANING PROBABLY
WASN'T NECESSARY TO DO IT. MORE IMPORTANTLY, ABOUT 700,000 PEOPLE WHO UNDER GO THIS TEST
HAVE NO BLOCKAGE. 700,000 PEOPLE GET THIS RISKY TEST THAT OR COULD BE RISKY THAT BASICALLY
DON'T HAVE ANY BLOCKAGE AND DON'T NEED IT THIS BLOOD TEST COULD CHANGE THAT.
A FEELING OF SECURITY BUT MEANWHILE THEY HAVE GONE THROUGH THE ANGIOGRAM. SO LET'S TALK
ABOUT THE BLOOD TEST. THAT IS THE INTERESTING THING. HOW WILL THAT HELP DOCTORS DECIDE WHETHER
A PATIENT HAS AN ARTERY BLOCKAGE? IT IS JUST BLOOD.
WELL, A GENETIC THEY LIKE TO CALL IT GENOMIC BLOOD TEST THEY LOOK, THEY TAKE A REGULAR
BLOOD TEST AND LOOK AT WHITE BLOOD CELLS IN THOSE TESTS AND LOOK AT THE GENES AND EVIDENTLY,
THE GENES IN THOSE WHITE BLOOD CELLS WILL REACT DIFFERENTLY. YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT A
BLOOD TEST WHERE YOU LOOK AT SOMETHINGS VERSUS AN ANGIOGRAM
I DON'T KNOW THE ANSWER TO THIS BUT I AM CURIOUS IF THERE IS A DIFFERENTIAL IN THE WAY THEY
TEST MEN AND WOMEN.
THERE IS NOT A DIFFERENCE HOWEVER WHEN IT COMES TO ANGIOGRAMS, WOMEN BY FAR, GET UNNECESSARY
PROCEDURES AND THE REASON IS, BECAUSE THEY DO A WHOLE BUNCH OF TESTS BEFORE THEY DO THE
ANGIOGRAM. THEY DO A STRESS TEST. PUT YOU ON A CARDIO MACHINE, MEASURE YOUR HEART RATE.
WOMEN PUT OFF FALSE POSITIVES IT LOOKS LIKE ON PAPER WOW, THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH
THEIR HEART WHEN THEY GO IN AND LOOK THERE IS NOTHING WRONG. THIS WOULD BE A PERFECT
TEST TO KIND OF COUNTER BALANCE THAT. INSTEAD YOU GET A BLOOD TEST IF IT SHOWED YOU HAD
A BLOCKAGE THEN THE WOMEN COULD GO IN. IT WOULD SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACT HOW MANY WOMEN
ARE OVER PRESCRIBED ANGIOGRAMS.
FOR ME, YOU ARE DESCRIBING ALL THIS GIVING US INFORMATION, BUT YOU ARE A LOCAL REPORTER
HERE IN SAN DIEGO IS THERE A SAN DIEGO CONNECTION.
THERE IS. A DOCTOR FROM SCRIPPS INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE, HE DID THE STUDY ON THIS, HE VALIDATED
AN FDA STUDY AND BASICALLY WHAT THAT MEANS THE FDA DOESN'T NECESSARILY HAVE TO HAVE STRICT
GUIDELINES FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTS LIKE THIS HE WENT BACK AND SAID I AM SKEPTICAL I DON'T
BELIEVE THIS. THIS ISN'T GOING TO WORK DID A HUGE STUDY 30 CENTERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY
INCLUDING SCRIPPS GREEN HOSPITAL AND FOUND IT DOES WORK AND NOW HE IS AN ENTHUSIASTIC
SUPPORTER THE STUDY WAS DONE HERE IN SAN DIEGO AND ON THE MARKET ALREADY.
WELL, FINALLY PEGGY, I MEAN PEOPLE ARE GOING TO HEAR THIS REPORT, GET REALLY INTERESTED
IN PURSUING IT, WHEN WILL IT BE AVAILABLE FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC?
MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT IT IS MADE BY CARDIO DIAX IN PALO ALTO WHAT CAN HAPPEN YOUR DOCTOR
CAN ORDER IT THEY WILL NEED TO ORDER IT AND GET IT DONE AT THE HOSPITAL IT WILL TAKE PATIENTS
SAYING HEY, WHAT ABOUT THAT NEW GENETIC BLOOD TEST. BUT IT IS AVAILABLE NOW.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
GOOD TO BE HERE.