Blood Test For Brain Trauma.......

[Gwedd]

Considering the issue of concussions, I thought that this article would be interesting to football fans. The US Army has developed a blood test that will recognize when mild brain trauma has occurred.

From USA TODAY:

FREDERICK, Md. — The Army says it has discovered a simple blood test that can diagnose mild traumatic brain damage or concussion, a hard-to-detect injury that can affect young athletes, infants with "shaken baby syndrome" and combat troops.

"This is huge," said Gen. Peter Chiarelli, the Army vice chief of staff.

Army Col. Dallas Hack, who has oversight of the research, says recent data show the blood test, which looks for unique proteins that spill into the blood stream from damaged brain cells, accurately diagnosing mild traumatic brain injury in 34 patients.

Doctors can miss these injuries because the damage does not show up on imaging scans, and symptoms such as headaches or dizziness are ignored or downplayed by the victims.

Article here:

Army finds simple blood test to identify mild brain trauma - USATODAY.com

BZ to the US ARMY for this research.

 

[fxkane]

If the test is used in the NFL, some criteria will have to be set up... and i'm sure a lot of debate will occur around this. In the end, tho, it is the players who will benefit most from it.

Of course, this may turn out to be more media hype than anything else--it may not work effectively at all. (false positives etc)

 

[NovaScotiaPatsFan]

Yeah, while I'd be immensly happy to see a reliable test this sounds like it could still use some work.

Also, as long as it's the teams making the choice rather than the league it'll be a joke.

 

[Gwedd]

I think that this will be of great importance, and the way the league is talking about more research and support for concussions, then this might well pay off for everyone.

The Army's interest in this stems from the number of TBI cases suffered as a result of IED explosions. The military's increased use of effective body armor and ballistic helmets has meant that there are fewer bullet and shrapnel injuries, but a BIG increase in concussions, more so than in past conflicts.

Being that this is a government (Army) project, the research is paid for by tax money so it should all be available to the public. Specifically, I'd like to see ALL school systems, as well as professional sports take a look at this.

Respects,

 

[RobertWeathers]

This type of testing is much needed.

The conspiricy theorist in me wonders if the NFL is a little wary of how widespread the aresults may actually be.

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

I think that this will be of great importance, and the way the league is talking about more research and support for concussions, then this might well pay off for everyone.

The Army's interest in this stems from the number of TBI cases suffered as a result of IED explosions. The military's increased use of effective body armor and ballistic helmets has meant that there are fewer bullet and shrapnel injuries, but a BIG increase in concussions, more so than in past conflicts.

Being that this is a government (Army) project, the research is paid for by tax money so it should all be available to the public. Specifically, I'd like to see ALL school systems, as well as professional sports take a look at this.

Respects,

This is big news, my baby brother wrote a new standard for TBI diagnosis/care while in Afghanistan, I'll have to shoot him this link and see what he thinks before his next deployment. His oldest is currently 100% service connected due to PTSD/TBI, so it's very real to him.

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

This type of testing is much needed.

The conspiricy theorist in me wonders if the NFL is a little wary of how widespread the aresults may actually be.

There will undoubtedly be some, but there are a lot of contact sports out there which will also be affected.

 

[WhiteWesWelker88]

a good test to have....



but let us just see how accurate it is.

 

[Gwedd]

This is big news, my baby brother wrote a new standard for TBI diagnosis/care while in Afghanistan, I'll have to shoot him this link and see what he thinks before his next deployment. His oldest is currently 100% service connected due to PTSD/TBI, so it's very real to him.

Yeah.... I've been following some of the day-to-day medical news through the 909th FAST medical unit at FOB SHANK, Afghanistan. My son is friends with some of the crew there, and he's literally next door on the street with the 173rd Airborne.

My son was down for a week with a concussion when his MRAP got hit with an IED. He was in the turret, and the IED went off prematurely. However, it tore the entire front off the vehicle and flipped it onto it's side. His helmet and bracing kept it from being any worse, but he also had hearing loss for a day or so. When he comes back, I'm taking him for another exam just to make certain there isn't any other latent injuries.

Respects,

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

Wonderfull news if it's as effective at diagnosis as claimed. Much needed tool. As to utilizing it, the key is what's the % of false positives and how can you really be sure they're false?

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

Yeah.... I've been following some of the day-to-day medical news through the 909th FAST medical unit at FOB SHANK, Afghanistan. My son is friends with some of the crew there, and he's literally next door on the street with the 173rd Airborne.

My son was down for a week with a concussion when his MRAP got hit with an IED. He was in the turret, and the IED went off prematurely. However, it tore the entire front off the vehicle and flipped it onto it's side. His helmet and bracing kept it from being any worse, but he also had hearing loss for a day or so. When he comes back, I'm taking him for another exam just to make certain there isn't any other latent injuries.

Respects,

Thanks to all you posters for your family members' service. My brother is a Vietnam vet & I'm headed to a fundraiser for service families Veterans Count Club Breakfast on Monday, November 1, 7:45 am, at the Radisson Hotel in Manchester. The Veterans Count Club is a membership organization whose purpose is to ensure veterans and their families do not have to endure personal struggles after sacrificing so much for our country. Veterans Count Club provides financial assistance to veterans and their families in need of emergency services..

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

Yeah.... I've been following some of the day-to-day medical news through the 909th FAST medical unit at FOB SHANK, Afghanistan. My son is friends with some of the crew there, and he's literally next door on the street with the 173rd Airborne.

My son was down for a week with a concussion when his MRAP got hit with an IED. He was in the turret, and the IED went off prematurely. However, it tore the entire front off the vehicle and flipped it onto it's side. His helmet and bracing kept it from being any worse, but he also had hearing loss for a day or so. When he comes back, I'm taking him for another exam just to make certain there isn't any other latent injuries.

Respects,

Good luck with your lad, you will want to keep an eye towards noting any personality changes too, the initial trauma may be healed, but the effects linger a long time.

Special Forces grabbed the paperwork for my brother's bronze star when his ANG command kicked it back and ran it through their chain for him, his TBI work was the centerpiece of the write-up. I have much contempt for the bureaucrats infesting the chain-of-command, and awards for lower ranks is a big part of that.

 

[Synovia]

Considering the issue of concussions, I thought that this article would be interesting to football fans. The US Army has developed a blood test that will recognize when mild brain trauma has occurred.

From USA TODAY:



Article here:

Army finds simple blood test to identify mild brain trauma - USATODAY.com

BZ to the US ARMY for this research.

Pretty much everyone in the NFL will test positive every week, especially lineman.


There was an article about lineman a while back stating that almost every time they wack each other in the helmets (which happens almost every play), they do so with enough force to cause micro concussions.


That being said, if the NFL was actually serious about this, they'd be forcing players to wear the better helmets developed a couple years ago.

 

[WhiteWesWelker88]

In this matter:False Positives and media blasphemy trouble me.

 

[Gwedd]

I would very much like to see the NFL go with the new-design helmets.

With the amount of money being invested in the players, I'm often left wondering why new technology for player protection doesn't seem to get a higher level of interest.