Effectiveness of the Traumatic Brain Injury Whole Blood Test on Improving Assessment and Triage for Patients With GCS 13-15 Presenting to Emergency Departments
The objective of this study is to identify determinants for implementing the i-STAT Alinity whole blood traumatic brain injury (TBI) test for its Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-indicated use and to evaluate other potential outcomes with clinical implications. The main questions it aims to answer are: 1. Determine the number of patients with non-elevated (i.e., below clinical cutoff) whole blood iSTAT Alinity tests who also receive CT scans. 2. What are the obstacles for using the i-STAT Alinity for its FDA-indicated use
• Aged 18 or older
• Presenting to an enrolling ED with ED Arrival GCS of 13-15 following reported head blunt impact within 24 hours of injury
• Meets Department of Defense (DoD) definition of mTBI:
⁃ A traumatically induced physiological disruption of brain function as a result of an external force that is indicated by new onset or worsening of at least one of the following clinical signs immediately following the event:
• Any alteration of mental status (e.g., feeling dazed, disoriented, or confused)
• Any period of loss of or a decreased level of consciousness, observed or self-report (loss of consciousness 30 minutes or less, an alteration of consciousness up to 24 hours)
• Any loss of memory for events immediately before or after the injury (post-traumatic amnesia up to 1-day post-injury)