U.S. health company to launch blood test thought to help detect TBI
A major United States healthcare company has plans to launch a portable device that is thought to help doctors detect traumatic brain injury by using a blood test. According to an article in the Business Standard, Abbott is currently testing the device and plans to launch it in India in coming months. The device is […]
A major United States healthcare company has plans to launch a portable device that is thought to help doctors detect traumatic brain injury by using a blood test. According to an article in the Business Standard, Abbott is currently testing the device and plans to launch it in India in coming months.
The device is a blood-base biomarker test that will run on Abbotts i-STAT device. The i-STAT handheld device is an easy-to-use blood analyzer that provides healthcare professionals with access to real-time, lab-quality results within minutes – rather than hours.
The system provides healthcare professionals with the information they need to rapidly make treatment decisions, which may lead to enhanced quality of care and improved system efficiency.
“Currently, the company’s point of care tests includes those for hemoglobin and kidney,” the article reads. “Abbott is initiating its trials in the US market this year after which the device will be brought to India. The device will be available in India in the next 18 months.”
The device is designed to test protein levels within blood samples that are said to assess the extent of an injury and also determine whether a person is prone to brain injury. The device is portable, but is specialized, so will not be sold as an over-the-counter product.
Abbott collaborated with the U.S. Department of Defense beginning in 2014, to develop the device. The Department of Defense committed to funding $19.5 million for two years to make the project happen.
Abbott claims that the test will be able to detect concussions, which are a form of mild traumatic brain injury, but some doctors are skeptical of the device.
One doctor is quoted in the article as saying that no blood test can determine the extent of a brain injury – only a CT Scan can do that.
