Colorado Springs hospitals use new test to detect mild brain injury quickly

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Two Colorado Springs emergency departments are the first in the state to use a new blood test that can assess whether a patient may have a mild brain injury and avoid a CT scan.

Memorial Hospital Central and Memorial Hospital North, both UCHealth hospitals, are using a new blood test called i-STAT Alinity traumatic brain injury test. According to officials, the test would eliminate the need for a CT scan and reduce radiation exposure.

Officials say the test has been used more than 175 times in the last six months and has been used for patients who have been in car accidents or might have suffered a hit to the head.

UCHealth says the test uses a handheld device that looks for two proteins in the bloodstream that are released after a brain injury. If the proteins are not present, patients avoid a CT scan. Officials say if the proteins are found, a CT scan is more than likely needed.

Instead of the usual three hours it can take to administer and read a CT scan, officials say the new test can make a diagnosis in around 15 minutes. According to officials, there are some caveats to the new test as they can only be used on patients 18 or older and within 24 hours of the injury.

But, UCHealth officials say avoiding a CT scan can lessen the time spent in the emergency department and reduce costs for both hospital and patient.

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