Abbott i-STAT TBI Plasma Test

2022: Device Announcement

In mid-August 2022, Abbott's i-STAT TBI Plasma Rapid Portable Blood Test Study was published to assess concussions. The authors of the work reported that if a sample is taken on the day of traumatic brain damage, then the presence of certain biomarkers can help predict how well the patient will recover in the coming weeks.

The study also received funding from, Ministry of Defence USA which has long supported the company's work to develop a portable, rapid test to detect brain injuries. By testing a patient as soon as possible, doctors will be able to detect proteins in the brain that will help build a more accurate picture of brain injury and its potential to cause long-term complications, coma or death, according to the developers of the rapid test.

Abbott-issued rapid concussion blood test predicts death in 6 months

Concussion is an impairment of brain function after an injury that is not associated with vascular damage. It is caused by the brain hitting the inner surface of the cranial box, with the processes of nerve cells stretching. According to the World Health Organization, more than half of the cases of 55-65% of concussion occur in everyday life. 8-18 years old is the most dangerous age, when there are especially many concussions. Most cases during this period are due to increased activity of children and teenage bravado, but in winter, when there is ice on the street, everyone is equally at risk.

{{quote 'Biomarkers of traumatic brain injury will one day become the standard for evaluating and treating patients. Objective biomarker data can be very useful in determining prognosis for a patient, help assess the severity of traumatic brain injury and, ultimately, can suggest how to better advise family members on caring for their loved ones with traumatic brain injury, said study author Fred Korley. }} The researchers used Abbott's i-STAT TBI Plasma test, a 15-minute hand-held diagnostic device that was approved by the U.S. Department of Health in January 2021, as well as a version designed for larger laboratory equipment. The device measures specific proteins found in the bloodstream after an injury and can help eliminate the need for CT scans if a person tests negative.

The scientists found that two proteins produced in brain cells -- glial fibrillary acidic protein, or GFAP, and ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase L1 -- or UCH-L1 can leak into the blood in large quantities 24 hours after a concussion. After studying the results of blood tests of almost 1.7 thousand patients, the researchers found that higher levels of these biomarkers are associated with deaths and the development of severe disability within six months. GFAP with an 87% probability predicted death within six months, and UCH-L1 with an accuracy of 89%; GFAP and UCH-L1 predicted severe disability with 86% accuracy, the study said. Those with biomarker levels above 20% had the highest risk of death, with the majority of cases occurring within the first month.

More than half of the patients in the study suffered concussion from a traffic accident, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which helped fund the study. Patients were recruited from 18 high-level U.S. trauma centers. The agency said more research would be needed to replicate the results, and that biomarkers failed to accurately predict incomplete recovery after six months, such as those who developed a moderate disability but are still able to live independently.^[1]

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