2/15/2018

DRUGS/FDA: “The Food and Drug Administration has approved the first blood test to evaluate concussions, otherwise known as mild traumatic brain injuries, in patients after accidents, military wounds, sports collisions and other causes.
The blood test from Banyan Biomarkers Inc. could be useful in diagnosing brain injuries that lead to an estimated 2.5 million emergency-room visits each year. The World Health Organization estimates about 10 million people world-wide are affected by mild traumatic brain injuries.
Patients with likely head injury are typically evaluated with cognitive assessments followed by a CT scan of the head to home in on damaged brain tissue, known as intracranial lesions. About 75% of brain injuries occurring each year are diagnosed as mild TBIs, or concussions… The federal agency evaluated data from 1,947 blood samples of adults with suspected concussion. Test results can be made available within three to four hours, according to the FDA.”

-Thomas M. Burton, “Concussion Blood Test Wins FDA Approval,” The Wall Street Journal online, Feb. 15, 2018 09:54am