224 Concussion Blood Test – Beyond MRI or CT – Lewis

Concussion Blood Test & Treatments for CTE, TBI and Brain Impairments

Dr. Michael Lewis – Reports on a blood test for a concussion and what to do about CTE or TBI. The Brain Trauma Indicator Test at Banyan Biomarkers measures two biomarkers: proteins known as UCH-L1 and GFAP, that are released upon injury to the brain and pass through the blood-brain barrier. Elevated levels of these proteins can be detected within 15 or 20 minutes of injury. The test can be taken within 12 hours of injury, and results can be obtained within three or four hours.

Patients are currently diagnosed with concussion based on a combination of symptoms as well as imaging. However, CT scans don’t always detect concussion.

“Over 90% of CT scans (for concussion) are negative. And you get 200 times the radiation of a chest X-ray. It’s expensive; it’s not terrific,” said Hank Nordhoff, chairman, and CEO of Banyan Biomarkers, maker of the new test. It can help determine whether a patient further needs a CT scan, based on a physician’s concerns.

It’s not concussions that cause CTE. It’s repeated hits, a study finds.

Second Interview at CBJ on Concussion

Listen up as Dr. Lewis, a West Point-trained Army officer and physician with specific interests in brain injury was a previous excellent CBJ Guest at CBJ/171, details improved diagnosis and treatment for brain injury.

Photo by Aimee Vogelsang on Unsplashcon

Dr. Lewis’ Brain-Focused Bio

In late 2011 upon retiring as a Colonel after a distinguished thirty-one-year career in the US Army. His pioneering work in the military and since has helped thousands of people around the world and is regularly featured in the media, including CNN’s Sanjay Gupta, MD, show and numerous radio shows and podcasts.

A graduate of the US Military Academy at West Point and Tulane University School of Medicine, Dr. Lewis is board-certified and a fellow of the American Colleges of Preventive Medicine and Nutrition. He completed postgraduate training at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Johns Hopkins University, and the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research.

He is currently in private practice in Potomac, Maryland (BrainCARE, www.BrainCARE.center); is a consultant to the US Army and Navy as well as several organizations, institutes, and nutrition companies around the world; and is a founding member of the Pop Warner Youth Football Medical Advisory Board.

Ed Note: See his book give away offer below↓, open until June 20, ’18

Concussion Testing Details – Radiation Exposure Minimized

The US Food and Drug Administration has, for the first time, approved a blood test to help detect concussion in adults.

“Today’s action supports the FDA’s Initiative to Reduce Unnecessary Radiation Exposure from Medical Imaging — an effort to ensure that each patient is getting the right imaging exam, at the right time, with the right radiation dose,” FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb said in a statement Wednesday.

Concussion Diagnostic Costs Reduced

The test could also help reduce costs significantly.