A New Device Could Reduce the Need for CT Scans when Diagnosing TBIs
According to the Centers for Disease Control, around 138 people die in the United States every day due to some type of Traumatic Brain injury (TBI). When diagnosing brain injuries, people have to get Computed Tomography (CT) scans, exposing them to radiation that they normally would not be exposed to. Physicians at Washington University Barnes Jewish Medical Center in St. Louis found that they could reduce the amount of CT scans by 30 percent due to a device just approved by the EPA, which was developed by BrainScope Company Inc, a medical neuro-technology company.
People with Traumatic Brain Injuries have a greater chance of getting more injuries and even have a greater chance of dying from other causes. These people are 50 times more likely to die from seizures, 11 times more likely to die from unintentional drug poisoning, 9 times more likely to die from infections, and six times more likely to die from pneumonia, compared with people who do not have a TBI.
Older adults and young children are especially vulnerable, with eight out of ten TBIs in older adults resulting from falls and sports and recreational activities being the major causes of TBIs in children. Around 283,000 people under the age of 18 go to the emergency room for a traumatic brain injury every year. The main causes are football, basketball, bicycling, playing on the playground, baseball, and hockey for boys while soccer, playground play, basketball, gymnastics, bicycling and softball are the main causes for girls.
Once people decide to get tested for a TBI, many of them are exposed to unnecessary radiation. Researchers from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, University of Rochester, and the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences found that participants were unnecessarily exposed to radiation, with only nine percent of the people tested showing brain abnormalities. It is also estimated that 50 percent of children who go to the emergency room for a head injury end up receiving a CT scan, when only two thirds of them are actually necessary.
The Brainscope study evaluated 91 patients referred for CT scans and were also given a noninvasive BrainScope EEG based Structural Injury Classifier evaluation using a disposable electrode headset, which takes between five and ten minutes. BrainScope says their BrainScope One can assess different brain injuries from concussions to brain bleeding.
The device works by measuring the brain’s electrical activity, which is then filtered using BrainScope’s algorithms. When using this method, the physicians testing the device found that it reduced patient’s exposure to unnecessary radiation by 31 percent.
If you have had a traumatic brain injury call us at 412-471-3980 or fill out our contact form to speak to an attorney and learn your options.
