Research

        Simple: A 15-minute blood test correctly diagnosed congestive heart failure nine out of 10 times in a new study — without the need for costlier and time-consuming echocardiograms or chest X-rays — in the emergency room.

        The test, the first of its kind, detects elevated blood levels of the hormone B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP). The hormone is released by heart ventricles when pressure rises and signals a failing heart.

        The Food and Drug Administration approved the test in 2000 and it is the only blood test approved to aid in diagnosing congestive heart failure. It proved effective in an earlier study and is in use in 300 hospitals nationwide.

        Before the BNP test, patients and doctors had to wait three to four hours for test results to diagnose heart failure, said Dr. Alan Maisel, lead investigator and director of the Coronary Care Unit at the Veterans Administration San Diego Health Care System.

        “Two drops of blood can get you results in 15 minutes. This test helps save lives and time,” Dr. Maisel said.

        The BNP test is more accurate than any other single test in identifying congestive heart failure. When combined with other clinical markers, including swollen ankles, shortness of breath and other lab tests, the accuracy rate is above 90 percent.

        The study appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Tips

        Sizzled: Dr. Dee Anna Glaser, dermatologist at St. Louis University School of Medicine, offers these tips for treating sunburn:

        • Take a cool bath without bubbles, salts or oils.

        • Apply cold compresses to the skin.

        • Sit near a fan or air conditioner.

        • Stay out of the sun.

        • Take aspirin, acetaminophen or ibuprofen to ease pain and swelling.

        • Moisturize the skin with a thick, bland moisturizer, aloe or a 1 percent hydrocortisone cream.

        • Drink extra water to ease swelling and prevent dehydration.

        • Use an over-the-counter anesthetic spray to ease pain.

        Avoid these practices:

        • Hot baths to “draw out the heat” can injure the skin further.

        • Don't scrub or pick at injured skin or try to remove peeling skin.

        • Don't use moisturizers high in fragrance or preservatives on the injured skin.

Calendar

        Demonstration: The American Apitherapy Society will hold a free public demonstration of bee venom therapy from 11 a.m.-noon Friday at the Drawbridge Inn in Fort Mitchell as part of its annual conference. Information: www.apitherapy.org.

Shelf Help

        Unclench: Stress Relief for Disasters Great and Small (Newmarket Press; $12.95) by Dr. Georgia Witkin focuses on the process of recovering from the physical and emotional aftermath of natural disasters and personal traumas.

Siting

        Click here: Check out the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's new Web site for teens and tweens at www.bam.gov. The site features information on fitness, safety, self-esteem and peer pressure, disease tracking and other health-related issues.

        Contact Peggy O'Farrell by phone: 768-8510; fax: 768-8330; e-mail: pofarrell@enquirer.com.

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