In groundbreaking medical news, Orlando Health Orlando Regional Medical Center has become the first hospital in the world to use a rapid blood test developed by Abbott, which can assess patients with suspected mild traumatic brain injuries. As PR Newswire reports, the test takes just 15 minutes to deliver results and is now an essential part of Orlando Health's emergency treatment protocol. Dr. Linda Papa, a veteran emergency medicine physician at Orlando Health, has been instrumental in this advancement, having pushed for research in the area of TBI biomarkers for over two decades.

Characterized by Dr. Papa as "amazing" and set to "revolutionize" TBI care, this blood test identifies specific biomarkers that correlate with the severity of brain injuries, changing the game in how these injuries are diagnosed and managed. Dr. Papa's persistence in biomarker research has brought forth an invaluable diagnostic tool that according to ClickOrlando, has the potential to be used in multiple settings including ambulances, sports sidelines, and military operations.

The use of this test in the emergency room setting is particularly significant. Traditionally, diagnosing TBIs relied heavily on CT scans, which besides being time-consuming and costly, expose patients to radiation. However, with the introduction of this blood test, doctors at Orlando Health can now quickly determine the necessity of a CT scan or suggest alternative treatments without the associated radiation risks. "Now, doctors are finally armed with a blood test to check your brain," Dr. Papa said, per PR Newswire. She outlined how the biomarkers in the test could indicate within 24 hours of the trauma if the patient might not need further imaging.

This development is not only a major leap forward for adults, but it also promises to vastly improve TBI assessments for children, a group particularly difficult to diagnose due to communication barriers. Dr. Papa is currently working on implementing the test for pediatric use. Having received FDA clearance earlier this year for use in adults, the i-STAT TBI cartridge is adding a crucial diagnostic tool to physicians' arsenals.