FDA approves rapid blood test for concussion assessment

FDA approves rapid blood test to help assess concussions
Test produces lab-quality results in 15 minutes
Previously, such assessments confined to hospital emergency departments

Updated: Apr 19, 2024 / 05:08 PM CDT

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(NewsNation) — A new rapid blood test to help assess concussions has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The test is run on a portable Abbott machine called i-STAT and produces lab-quality results in 15 minutes. It uses whole blood to evaluate patients with a suspected mild traumatic brain injury, or concussion, according to a news release.

Until now, tests to help with the assessment of concussions were only cleared for use with plasma or serum, which required samples be sent to a lab for processing and testing.

The FDA’s approval will allow testing in places including urgent care clinics rather than being reserved for hospital emergency departments. It also allows the test to help evaluate patients as many as 24 hours after their injury.

“Historically, that process for suspected concussions was largely subjective,” Geoffrey Manley, chief of neurosurgery at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, said in an official statement. “With the help of this whole blood test, we can quickly and objectively determine whether or not a patient needs a CT scan or additional evaluation, right at the point of care. It’s an incredibly helpful tool that advances the treatment of traumatic brain injury.”