Quickly Assessing Brain Bleeding in Head Injuries Using New Device

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In a clinical trial conducted among adults in 11 hospitals, researchers have shown that a hand-held EEG device approved in 2016 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that is commercially available can quickly and with 97 percent accuracy rule out whether a person with a head injury likely has brain bleeding and needs further evaluation and treatment. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 2.5 million Americans each year show up to the emergency room with suspected head injuries. Most of these people receive a CT scan, and more than 90 percent of the scans show no structural brain injury, creating needless radiation exposure and medical costs estimated at about $1,200 per scan. In a report on their clinical trial, the researchers say the new device — which measures electrical activity in the brain and then uses an algorithm to decide if a patient is likely to have brain bleeding — can help with clinical decision-making and triage of patients, and could reduce the need for CT scans.

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