Biomarker Role in Assessing Imaging Needs for Mild Cranial Trauma

Launched by EMORY UNIVERSITY · Apr 10, 2025

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is exploring whether a simple blood test can help doctors decide when a head CT scan is really needed for patients who have experienced a mild head injury, like a concussion. The goal is to see if this blood test can improve patient care by reducing the number of unnecessary imaging procedures in the emergency department. Researchers will collect blood samples from participants to evaluate the effectiveness of the test.

To participate in this study, you need to be an adult between the ages of 18 and 65 and have a mild traumatic brain injury, which means your ability to respond and be aware (measured by the Glasgow Coma Scale) is mostly normal. You should also have arrived at the hospital within 24 hours of your injury and not had any head imaging done for the same incident before. If you have certain medical conditions, like a history of brain problems or need immediate surgery, you may not be eligible. If you join the trial, you can expect to provide a blood sample that will help researchers assess whether the test can make a difference in how head injuries are evaluated.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Adults aged 18-65 years old
• • Mild TBI, defined as Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score 13-15, presenting within 24 hours of injury
• • No prior head imaging for the same incident
• • Presenting within 24 hours of onset of injury
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Patients with penetrating head injury
• • History of known brain abnormality including tumor, cerebrovascular malformation, recent brain surgery (within 6 months), prior head injury (within 6 months)
• • Need for emergent surgical intervention for brain or alternate body organ injury
• • Need for emergent bedside procedures for hemodynamic or orthopedic stabilization
• • Patients deemed at higher risk for decline by the provider prohibit the 15-minute delay in obtaining imaging needed for biomarker testing.