Revolutionary blood test identifies patients with brain injuries

A ground-breaking blood test to assess patients with suspected mild traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) or concussions has been used by Orlando Health Orlando Regional Medical Center (ORMC). The institution will be the first hospital system in the world to roll it out.

Named i-STAT TBI, the novel blood test was developed by Abbott in collaboration with the Department of Defense, following the research conducted by Dr Linda Papa, Director of Clinical Research at Orlando Health, and her colleagues. There is a prevalent requirement for a blood test to diagnose and treat injuries of the brain, as TBIs from accidents or sports is a leading cause of death and disability in the United States.

The i-STAT TBI test checks a patient’s blood for two biomarkers that are often present following a brain injury and provides results in only 15 minutes. The results enable clinicians to disregard the need for a head CT scan and determine the next steps of care. Dr Papa pioneered the identification of the biomarkers used in the blood test.

Dr Papa elucidated: “Damaged brain cells release two proteins: GFAP and UCH-L1 into their blood…The higher the concentrations of these proteins, the more severe the brain injury. The quicker doctors can detect these brain injuries, the quicker a patient can get life-saving treatment. On the flip side, if we find these biomarkers are not elevated in their blood within 24 hours of trauma, that may indicate that they do not need to have a CT scan.”

Presently, CT scans are the most frequent way to diagnose brain lesions. However, they are time-consuming, expensive and associated with radiation exposure. Similarly, physical examination of the patient and imaging to detect brain tissue damage has been the traditional concussion evaluation.

Kelly Nierstedt, Senior Vice President of Orlando Health and President of Orlando Health Orlando Regional Medical Center, commented: “We are incredibly proud to be the first hospital in the world to roll out this new blood test for traumatic brain injuries…Dr Papa is a visionary. Her decades of trailblazing TBI research highlight Orlando Health’s commitment to patient care and strategic innovation. We are honoured to be on the leading edge of healthcare throughout the entire journey from the research lab to the patient’s bedside.”

Currently, Dr Papa is working on evaluating the test in children, as well as continuing to be actively involved in Orlando Health’s clinical implementation of Abbott’s blood test to help adult patients with potential TBIs.