KOAA-TV | UCHealth hospitals in Colorado Springs first in state to implement tool that can eliminate need for CT scan
UCHealth Memorial Hospital Central and UCHealth Memorial Hospital North are the first hospitals in Colorado to use the i-STAT Alinity traumatic brain injury blood test, which can help determine whether an adult with a possible mild brain injury needs a CT scan.
Why UCHealth is included
George Hertner, MD, chair of emergency medicine for UCHealth in southern Colorado, explains how the approximately 15-minute test detects two proteins released into the bloodstream following a brain injury and can help clinicians rule out unnecessary CT scans. He said the two hospitals used the test 175 times over six months and avoided CT scans in 80% of those cases.
Link to original coverage: Read the full story at KOAA News5.
Related UCHealth background (recommended)
ER doctors are using a new blood test for brain injuries explains how Colorado Springs emergency clinicians are using the bedside blood test to assess possible brain injuries while helping patients avoid unnecessary CT scans