Using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrotroscopy for Earlier Diagnosis and Rapid Stratification of Patients with a Traumatic Brain Injury

There are approximately 300 CT head scans ordered from the Emergency Department (ED) at Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh per month; many of which indicate that there is no significant injury.

A blood-based brain biomarker test that can predict presence or absence of a brain injury and its severity would support clinical decision making and reduce the need for CT scans, streamline clinical management, reducing costs and cranial exposure to radiation. In this study blood samples will be collected from participants for whom the assessing clinician has identified a clinical need to undergo CT brain imaging after a TBI, and where patients have given consent to participate in the NHS Lothian Biobank. Blood samples will be anlaysed using infrared spectroscopy, or other assays targeted at TBI assessment. Our aim is to ascertain whether the severity and likely clinical course of a head injury can be accurately predicted at the time of admission.