New Study Can Predict Death Or Severe Disability In Patients With Traumatic Brain Injury

In a newly published study in the journal Lancet, researchers find blood tests that can help in rapid decision-making for the potential treatment of traumatic brain damage (TBI).

They have analysed two protein biomarkers and linked their higher values with severe disability and death in cases of TBI, allowing medical experts to make rapid decisions regarding the patient’s likelihood of life or death. [1]

A traumatic brain injury is described as an injury to the brain resulting in temporary or lasting impairments in cognitive, physical, or psychosocial function due to an external force. TBI is a type of acquired brain injury that can be open (penetrating) or closed (non-penetrating) and is classified as mild, moderate, or severe based on clinical presentation. The optimal time to document a TBI diagnosis is at the time of injury or within the first 24 hours. [2]

Take a look at the details to find out the details of the study.

Mechanisms Of Traumatic Brain Injury

This first-of-its-kind study investigates the connection between levels of two protein biomarkers, GFAP and UCH-L1, and all-cause mortality after TBI.

There are many factors responsible for causing TBI and leading to physiologic or structural brain damage. Some of the types of TBI are blunt, penetrating, non-penetrating and blast brain injuries.

Blunt and non-penetrating TBI can be caused by a direct blow to the head or by fast acceleration or deceleration of the head without impact, like the sudden back-and-forth movement of the neck. [3]

Open (penetrating) TBI occurs when physical external forces influence the brain and an object or item enters brain tissue, such as during gunshot wounds. A closed (non-penetrating) head injury is caused by an external force that causes brain movement within the skull. [4]

Blast-induced traumatic brain injury is a common type of head injury in the military and civilian population. It may include car and motorcycle accidents, military physical training and injuries during athletic activities.

About The Study

Each year, more than fifty million people worldwide endure traumatic brain injuries (TBI). Identification of brain-related injuries is dependent upon the traditional CT scan reports.

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GFAP and UCH-L1 are two blood-based brain biomarkers that have the potential to predict intracranial damage to the brain and reduce the need for CT scans in patients in the emergency department. [4]

UCH-L1 indicates neuronal injury and GFAP indicates glial injury. The presence of higher levels of these two serums indicates abnormalities in the brain and also hints at the need for medical experts to improve the outcome of the condition.

In cases when these two protein levels are high after TBI, steps should be taken to inform the family of the patient about the patient’s survival or death, and also counsel them accordingly.

The study was carried out on data available for 1696 participants with traumatic brain injury.

Results

The proteins were measured with two instruments from Abbott Laboratories: the i-STAT Alinity and the ARCHITECT. The results were compared to assessments done six months after the injury. It was done using the Glasgow Outcome Scale-Extended.

Those with GFAP and UCH-L1 levels in the top 20th percentile have a 23 times and 63 times higher risk of death in the time period of six months.

The Next Step

Diagnosing the outcomes of TBI via these blood tests is predictive, cost-effective, safe and simple. According to the researchers of the study, the strategy is promising for predicting outcomes in moderate and severe TBI, but additional research is required to determine its function in mild instances.

The study can help choose the appropriate participants based on their GFAP and UCH-L1 serum levels for the study of promising therapeutic agents that can aid in the rapid recovery of traumatic brain injury patients.

Story first published: Thursday, August 25, 2022, 17:29 [IST]

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