New heart attack criteria aim to speed up diagnosis in women

The definition of heart attack is changing after four major global cardiology organizations agreed on new criteria, announced at the European Society of Cardiology congress in Munich. The changes aim to improve diagnosis, particularly for women. The new criteria give greater attention to three causes more common in women: coronary artery spasm, coronary embolism, and spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD), which occurs in about 80% of cases in women. Additionally, sex-specific troponin blood test thresholds are introduced to detect cases previously missed. Experts call the update a turning point that will transform patient care globally, addressing what one cardiologist described as an unintentional systematic bias against women. The recommendations were published in the European Heart Journal.