When someone you love is involved in a serious car accident, you may be fearful of a head injury. It is estimated that 10 million people per year will be affected by traumatic brain injuries by the end of this decade.
Mild, moderate or severe?
There is a difference between a regular concussion and a traumatic brain injury. The American Academy of Neurology categorizes a “TBI” into three different categories: mild, moderate or severe. After an accident, it can be quite difficult for a team of doctors to diagnose what level of injury has occurred. In fact, some emergency rooms don’t even have MRI or CT scans readily available.
There is good news. Banyan Biomarkers and Quanterix have partnered together to come up with a new way to distinguish whether a severe TBI has been sustained. It involves studying the chemistry of proteins released in the brain when a person hits their head. Banyan Biomarkers is the lab side of this process, while Quanterix is a company that has helped develop diagnostic tools.
Only one drop of blood
In a car accident, a brain injury results from impact with the windshield of the vehicle, the sides of the car or even from whiplash. Now, the aforementioned efforts may be able to assess the type of brain injury after a vehicle collision. All that would be needed from the patient upon hospital arrival is a simple blood test. Actually, just one drop of blood would suffice.
A better option
The result? With this new medical technology underway, researchers are finding out that diagnosing and evaluating traumatic brain injuries won’t be as costly. In addition, testing can happen sooner, which means victims of a car accident can get help and support right away.