With just a few drops of blood, Abbott's i-STAT Alinity traumatic brain injury (TBI) test can eliminate the need for a computed tomography (CT) scan of the brain, reducing exposure to radiation. The test provides lab-quality results in about 15 minutes and a “not elevated” test result helps clinicians rule out a CT scan, which can take more than three hours to complete and read.

Dr. George Hertner, chair of emergency medicine for UCHealth in southern Colorado, said the hospitals have used the test more than 175 times over the past six months with strong results. Evaluating patients for possible mild brain injuries – often suffered from falls or while playing sports – is commonplace in the emergency department. Hertner said the test is also frequently used for patients who have been in motor vehicle accidents or have suffered a blow to the head.

The test – done with a handheld device at the patient’s bedside - looks for two proteins released into the bloodstream after a brain injury. If the proteins are not present, patients can avoid a CT scan. If the test is positive, a scan is often still necessary.

“It’s a rule-out test – it helps us know when we don’t need to do a CT scan. In that capacity, it has performed very well,” Hertner said, adding that the test eliminated the need for scans in 80% of the cases.

“Avoiding a scan can shorten your stay in the emergency department, lower radiation exposure associated with a scan, eliminate the need for a radiologist’s evaluation and reduce costs for everyone,” Hertner said. “Everybody wins.”

He further explained: “When you hit your head, we want to know if there could be bleeding in the brain. A strong hit can damage brain cells, which release specific proteins into the blood. This test helps us see if that kind of injury may have happened and if a CT scan is needed. So if your test is positive, we should do a scan.”

There are some caveats for the test. Among them:

• It can only be used on patients 18 and older.
• It must be used within 24 hours of injury.

“We are exploring how we can safely use this test in a more broad range of people,” Hertner said. “This test is already demonstrating the ability to use resources where they are most needed.”

Signs of a potential head injury include loss of consciousness, headache, repetitive vomiting, blurred vision, difficulty thinking clearly and short-term memory issues.

About UCHealth

UCHealth is a nationally recognized nonprofit health system that pushes the boundaries of medicine through advanced treatments and clinical trials, improving health through innovation and providing unmatched patient care in the Rocky Mountain West. Investing $1.6 billion in community benefits including $762 million in uncompensated and charity care each year, UCHealth is Colorado’s largest Medicaid provider and dedicated to the communities it serves. With the region’s only adult academic medical center, University of Colorado Hospital on the CU Anschutz campus, UCHealth includes 37,000 employees, 15 acute-care hospitals and thousands of physicians across Colorado, Wyoming and western Nebraska.

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Estes Park, Colo. – UCHealth Estes Valley Medical Center (EVMC) has noted a rise in visits to the emergency department in recent weeks. 

The number of patients visiting the emergency department increased 43% when comparing the three-day Father’s Day weekend in 2025 to 2026. 

“Now that the hiking and tourist season is in full swing in Estes Park, visitors should give their body time to adjust to the higher elevation before enjoying the local area,” said Angela Haynes, a respiratory therapist at EVMC. She also noted that she has been seeing patients coming to the emergency department, complaining of shortness of breath. When at elevation, this can often be a sign of altitude sickness. 

Altitude sickness is preventable and treatable but advanced forms can lead to life-threatening concerns especially for those with chronic medical conditions. 

Estes Park, where EVMC is located, sits at 7,522 feet while nearby Rocky Mountain National Park reaches as high as 14,259 feet at the top of Longs Peak. The Alpine Visitor Center sits at 11,796 feet – more than two miles above sea level – along Trail Ridge Road. 

Visitors from lower elevations may experience the effects of altitude sickness if they do not allow themselves time to acclimate to the higher altitude. Even those living at higher elevations are not immune to the impacts of the condition. 

Altitude sickness, also called acute mountain sickness or AMS, occurs when a person travels to higher elevations beyond what their body is familiar with or too quickly before their body can adjust. At higher elevations, there is less atmospheric pressure and thus fewer oxygen molecules per square inch. This results in the body inhaling less oxygen with each breath. 

When severe, the condition can develop into fluid in the lungs and swelling of the brain. Both forms are extremely dangerous and require immediate medical attention. That does not, however, mean that less severe cases should be ignored. 

“The more severe forms of altitude sickness can develop into life-threatening conditions,” said Dr. Paige Machado, an emergency medicine physician at EVMC. “Recognizing initial signs and symptoms, such as headache, nausea and shortness of breath, can be resolved by descending to a lower altitude. Other tips we recommend are staying hydrated, avoiding heavy exertion until you have acclimated, limiting alcohol intake, and not going to higher elevations if you have symptoms.”

Signs of mild altitude sickness 

• Headache (the most common symptom).
• Nausea and vomiting.
• Fatigue and less energy than usual.
• Shortness of breath with exertion.
• Lightheadedness 
   

Call 911 if these more severe symptoms occur

• Extreme shortness of breath (inability to speak in full sentences or walk a short distance).
• Sudden or severe headache.
• Confusion.
• Slurred words.
• Abnormal walking. 
   

“There is no guaranteed way to predict who will develop altitude sickness,” said Machado. “We do know that people with chronic medical issues, especially underlying heart and lung conditions, are more susceptible. Those with less physical conditioning and the elderly are also at higher risk.” 

A 2025 study of hikers in the Andes, however, showed that up to 80% of people who once had AMS will develop it again when they repeat the rapid ascent in elevation. 

Preventing AMS involves staying well hydrated before arriving and while at elevation, allowing your body to adjust by not gaining more than 1,000 feet of elevation per day and sleeping at lower altitudes than the highest altitude traveled during that day. 

A person’s primary care doctor can prescribe the medication acetazolamide, branded as Diamox, that can be prescribed before coming to high altitude to limit symptoms. 

“It can be hard to wrap your head around just how high up we are in Estes Park,” said Machado. “I tell patients in the ED to imagine taking the length of a football field and turning it vertically. If you stack them end-to-end, we are just over 20 football fields up in the air.” 

Machado also tells people that technically, the only effective treatment for altitude sickness is going back down to a lower elevation. 

She stresses that mild symptoms can be treated with these recommendations. 

“Most importantly, don’t ignore more serious symptoms, because delaying medical evaluation and treatment can lead to life-threatening complications,” said Machado.

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