At a lab owned by Banyan Biomarkers Inc. in Florida, anesthetized rats are repeatedly hit with tiny metal pistons and blasts of air in order to imitate the impact of a serious head injury. The idea is to determine whether brain injury in these animals leads to the development of biomarkers in the blood. The aim is to develop a test that will allow health care professionals to test for a brain injury, by determining the presence of a biomarker in the blood.
As maritime attorneys and Houston industrial accident attorneys, we often come across maritime workers and other workers with a brain injury. These can occur when workers are struck on the head in the workplace, by flying objects or falling materials or debris. A person can suffer a brain injury when he falls off a deck, a ladder or platform. Just about every workplace in Texas has potential fall hazards, and even falls that have a moderate impact, can cause a concussion or mild brain injury. That is why it was so great to hear that the US Department Of Defense is investing in a study in the development of a brain injury test device that determines the presence of biomarkers. The study is the first of its kind in the country, and will soon be conducted on 1,000 patients across 20 hospitals.
Currently, there’s not much that doctors have to work with while diagnosing a brain injury, except for the victim’s symptoms if he’s conscious, or the accounts of witnesses. Sometimes, these accounts can be conflicting, and very often, doctors fail to diagnose a brain injury.
The chances of misdiagnosing an injury are even higher when the person has not lost consciousness after an injury. That often happens during fall accidents. With a test that can help determine the presence of biomarkers in the person’s blood, doctors will be able to diagnose a brain injury much quicker. This will also allow them to begin treatment as quickly as possible. Early treatment is key to a brain injury patient’s recovery. There is not much you can do to reverse the initial damage, but if doctors can begin working on a patient as quickly as possible, they can limit the extent of the brain injury.
