Troponin T testing is typically used to diagnose or rule out a heart attack and improve the accuracy of heart disease diagnosis and monitoring in vulnerable geriatric populations.
In nursing home patients, troponin T testing can be instrumental in identifying heart problems that may not present with typical symptoms. Nursing home patients are often older and may have multiple chronic conditions, making it difficult to diagnose heart problems on symptoms alone.
Through monitoring levels of troponin T over time, healthcare providers are able to identify changes that may indicate worsening heart function and adjust treatment accordingly. The impact of time from collection to results on patient care is why Aculabs works to cut turnaround times.
By removing the need to utilize testing via a reference laboratory, Aculabs can run tests more frequently and report results to clients more quickly overall. Aculabs is now approved to offer to clients troponin T testing. Please see below for ordering details:
| Date | Test Code | Test Name | CPT Code | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 03/08/23 | #959 | TROPONIN T HIGH SENSITIVITY, (GENERATION 5) | 84484 | $37.41 |
By bringing such testing in-house, Aculabs is able to pass such savings onto our clients, with the new test costing $37.41 in comparison to the $100.32 price of the send-out Troponin T test (Test #3392 will no longer be orderable).
Such testing is crucial to geriatric populations because Troponin T is a protein that is released into the bloodstream when there is damage to the heart muscle. When presenting symptoms of a heart attack, such as chest pain, shortness of breath, or nausea, geriatric patients who often suffer from other forms of fatigue and sickness must undergo troponin T testing to confirm a diagnosis.
However, this is not the only function of troponin T testing; such testing is also utilized when monitoring medications used to treat conditions that can cause damage to the heart muscle. Geriatric patients taking certain medications may need to undergo troponin T testing to monitor for adverse effects.