In just 15 minutes, a small, hand-held blood test can tell doctors whether a patient is likely to have suffered a concussion or traumatic brain injury – with doctors saying the procedure is better at evaluating brain injury than the CAT scans that have been used for 30 years.
After more than a decade of research, the Abbott Laboratories test is being used for the first time in a real-world setting to evaluate patients at Tampa General Hospital in Florida, reports BusinessLIVE.
Though millions of Americans have experienced traumatic brain injuries, many are misdiagnosed. Patients suspected of having a concussion or internal bleeding have typically needed to get a computed tomography (CAT) scan, which is costly, time-intensive, and can expose patients to low levels of radiation.
CAT scans often miss concussions, which can lead to lifelong consequences if left unchecked. Abbott’s test can pick up on brain abnormalities that the scans can’t see.
That test, called the i-Stat TBI Plasma test, was greenlit by the Food and Drug Administration in 2021 to rule out the need for a CAT scan when evaluating mild traumatic brain injuries. All that’s needed is a small blood sample, from which plasma is extracted and applied to a test cartridge.
The test measures specific biomarkers – in this case, elevated levels of two distinct proteins made by brain cells are cause for concern. When a head injury occurs, those proteins can leak out of the protective barrier covering the central nervous systems and enter the bloodstream. Measuring that leakage allows doctors to see that there’s been some sort of disruption to the blood-brain barrier, which can indicate a concussion or traumatic brain injury, said Jason Wilson, a physician specialising in emergency medicine at Tampa General.
Though the concussions and brain injuries that make headlines are usually those suffered by professional athletes, most injuries happen in the workplace or car accidents, said Wilson.
Sports-related injuries account for a significant number of concussions in children and teens. From 2001 to 2018, about 3.8m adolescents under 18 visited the emergency department for brain injuries, according to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Nearly half of those visits were associated with contact sports.
Though Abbott’s test is not yet ready to be used on the sidelines of sporting events, the ultimate goal for Abbott is for every hospital, urgent care clinic, ambulance, school and sporting event to have a portable test available. The company is also working on research that will help doctors know the severity of a concussion or brain injury, for adults and children, to aid in diagnoses.
BusinessLIVE article – US hospital first to use blood test for concussions (Restricted access)
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