Good ideas become world-changing ideas when they focus on the good of society.

That's the premise behind Fast Company's World Changing Ideas Award. The award honors products, concepts, companies, policies and designs that are pursuing innovation for the good of society and the planet.

At Abbott, it's in our DNA to take ideas and turn them into technologies that could have a big impact for people around the world. What if a blood test could help predict your chances for developing heart disease potentially years in advance?

This year, Fast Company recognized Abbott's diagnostic blood test in its World-Changing Ideas honoree list for its potential to help tackle heart disease.

Predicting Risk of Heart Disease

Abbott's high sensitive troponin-I blood test has been used throughout Europe in emergency rooms to help aid doctors in the diagnosis of a heart attack. Now, Abbott's test can help doctors in Europe and other parts of the world more accurately predict the chances of a heart attack or other cardiac event potentially years in advance in adults who otherwise appear healthy.*

The blood test measures a protein called troponin-I, which is released from the heart, and can be found at elevated levels in the blood when the heart muscle has been injured. To currently predict a person's chances of developing heart disease, European guidelines recommend that doctors use several indirect health factors, such as cholesterol levels or blood pressure. By contrast, troponin-I is a biomarker, or indicator, that is a direct signal from the heart muscle.

This life-changing technology can help physicians have a clearer picture of their patient's likelihood of developing heart disease in the future, and act as a wakeup call to people to take the necessary actions to help prevent heart disease.

"At Abbott, we are rooted in research, discovery and innovation that has a positive impact to healthcare, doctors, patients and society," said Agim Beshiri, Medical Director, Diagnostics, Abbott. "Doctors across Europe and Asia now have access to a heart specific blood test that can be added to their current standard of care to more accurately predict their patients' chances of developing heart disease."

Interested in learning more about your cardiac risk, click here. Or visit Fast Company to see the full list of those honored in the 2019 World Changing Ideas Award.

*Abbott's high sensitive Troponin-I test for cardiac risk is the first to receive CE Marking, an indicator that it complies with European health, safety and environmental protection standards for products sold in the European Economic Area. Abbott's ARCHITECT High Sensitive Troponin-I test is not commercially available in the U.S.