The ABI has been consulting with medical professionals to re-word its heart attack definition.
It cannot reveal Myocardial Infarction definition re-wording or timescales yet, but has confirmed it is addressing the reference to troponin tests to diagnose severity for critical illness claims.
Nick Kirwan, assistant director of health and protection at the ABI, said: "This is an area where medical science has moved on. We are seeing emergence of highly sensitive troponins. We are looking at what that means for the definition."
The ABI definition of Myocardial Infarction is three-pillared; typical clinical symptoms; electrocardiographic changes; and the rise of cardiac enzymes, or troponins. It includes troponin level measurements needed to diagnose MI for claims.
The topic was addressed at the Hannover Re annual conference on 18 June; the event was attended by Hannover re clients and closed to the press.
Julie Hopkins, head of underwriting and claims strategy at Hannover Re, said: "The MI definition is not out of date but troponin tests have evolved.
"The problem is patients wrongly thinking they have had a heart attack and talking about of in the context of claims."
Paul Reddick, head of medical underwriting and claims at Pacific Life Re, presented at the Health and Care Conference 2012 in May about the "critically flawed" definition and use of troponin tests.
Warren Copp, chief underwriter for Pacific Life Re, said the definition exposed the industry to increasing premiums and declining claims rates.
He added: "There should be a measure of the actual damage done to the heart to align payments more with the severity, potentially offering partial payments to less severe cases."
The ABI introduced troponin tests into the definition in 2006.
