European Cardiac Diagnostic Market Set to Grow

The use of cardiac diagnostic tests, such as troponins and cardiac natriuretic peptides (NPs), in primary care in Europe is poised to grow due to the introduction of point-of-
care testing (POCT) technologies. With rapid turn-around times (TAT), these cardiac markers will enable cost reduction and lead to improved patient outcomes. Over the next three to four years, cardiac markers will be implemented more effectively in primary care to support decreased bed occupancy, hospital costs, and physician time.

In switching from conventional methods of heart disease diagnosis to these novel markers, cardiologists have developed the market. However, the cardiology community still requires further education and training on the advantages of these novel risk markers. Medical communities in the United Kingdom and France are hesitant to adopt innovative methods of diagnosing, treating, and managing patients.

"Physicians are skeptical about adopting novel markers and continue to rely on tried and tested methods of diagnosis, which are cheaper and do not require validation and scientific support,” said Dr. Fiona Rahman, a clinical diagnostics analyst at Frost & Sullivan. "These end users are reluctant to experiment with expensive markers, which are essential to complement more traditional diagnostic methods.”

"Cardiac point-of-care testing offers many benefits for primary care, particularly in improving TAT results and in allowing the prescription of earlier and more appropriate treatment,” continued Dr. Rahman. "The rapid TAT of cardiac markers will reduce costs and improve the treatment of patients admitted with chest pain.”

Frost & Sullivan reports that the European primary care cardiac diagnostics market had revenues of U.S.$50.3 million in 2005 and estimates that this will reach $149.4 million in 2012.



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