Study Finds Clues In Your Blood Could Help Assess Traumatic Brain Injuries Within Minutes Of Impact

Orlando, FL (Sept. 4, 2024) – Groundbreaking research published on Wednesday shows that clues in your blood could help assess traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) within 30 minutes of impact, much sooner than previously known. The first-of-its-kind study, published in JAMA Network Open, marks a significant milestone that could inform how TBIs are treated in multiple areas including on the sidelines of sporting events, in military settings and in the field when ambulance crews respond to a patient before transporting them to a hospital. The study builds on decades of research by Dr. Linda Papa, lead author of the study and Director of Academic Clinical Research at Orlando Health.

According to the National Institutes of Health, traumatic brain injury from accidents or sports is a leading cause of death and disability in the United States. And the CDC estimates that 2.5 million people visited the emergency department for TBIs in just one year.

Before this study, it was unknown how early after an injury a person’s blood might accurately show signs of a TBI. As an emergency medicine physician, Dr. Papa sought to tackle that mystery. Now, this new research sheds light on that critical timeline. This is just the latest development in Papa’s over 25 years of pioneering TBI research, including her key discovery that played a pivotal role in the development of a new rapid TBI blood test. Orlando Health was the first in the world to use the new TBI blood test

“Time is of the essence when it comes to traumatic brain injuries,” said Dr. Linda Papa. “Through this study, we uncovered that it is possible to gather objective and potentially life-saving information within just a half hour after the moment of injury. This information is invaluable for patients in multiple settings, starting from the scene of injury to the hospital.”

In this study, researchers analyzed data from over 800 patients including those who suffered brain lesions, required immediate neurosurgery or died from their injury. Nearly half of those patients had blood samples taken within 30 minutes of getting hurt. Researchers analyzed clues in the patients’ blood samples known as biomarkers. This study sets the stage for using these biomarkers within minutes of injury.

“During a head trauma, a person’s brain gets jostled. Damaged brain cells release three proteins or biomarkers: GFAP, UCH-L1 and MAP-2 spill into their blood,” said Papa. “In this study, we found that all three biomarkers were significantly elevated in our patients’ blood within 30 and 60 minutes of injury. GFAP was the strongest independent marker with sensitivities of 98-99%.”

Dr. Papa was a pioneer in first identifying these biomarkers over two decades ago. She explains that the higher the concentrations of these biomarkers in a patient’s blood, the more severe the brain injury. Papa said that information is key because the quicker doctors can detect TBIs, the quicker a patient can get life-saving treatment.

The study enrolled patients from the multicenter Prehospital Tranexamic Acid Use for Traumatic Brain Injury clinical trial conducted across 20 centers and 39 emergency medical systems in North America and was funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Defense.

Dr. Papa has evaluated different aspects of TBIs through multiple studies and has served as the lead author for papers published in JAMA Network Open, JAMA Neurology, Nature Scientific Reports, Journal of Neurotrauma, BMJ Paediatrics Open, Academic Emergency Medicine, Annals of Emergency Medicine and Journal of Trauma.

About Orlando Health

Orlando Health is a private not-for-profit, integrated academic healthcare system with $10.5 billion of assets under management, that serves the southeastern United States and Puerto Rico. With corporate offices in Orlando, Florida the system provides a complete continuum of care across a network of medical centers and institutes, community and specialty hospitals, physician practices, urgent care facilities, skilled nursing facilities, home healthcare, and long-term and behavioral health care services. Founded more than 100 years ago, Orlando Health’s mission is to improve the health and the quality of life of the individuals and communities we serve. The system provided nearly $1.3 billion in community impact in the form of community benefit programs and services, Medicare shortfalls, bad debt, community-building activities and capital investments in FY 22, the most recent period for which the information is available. For more information, visit orlandohealth.com, or follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and X (formerly Twitter.)