Serum biomarkers as adjuncts to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence Head Injury Guidelines (NG232, 2023) when selecting patients with Traumatic Brain Injury for computed tomography: a Collaborative European NeuroTrauma Effectiveness Research in Traumatic Brain Injury Study.

Authors:

Daniel Whitehouse, Ana Mikolić, Endre Czeiter, Sophie Richter, Andras Buki, Kevin K. Wang, Ewout Steyerberg, Andrew Maas, David Menon, Fiona Lecky, and Virginia Newcombe; the CENTER-TBI Investigators and Participants.

Lay summary – Blood tests that measure signs of brain injury may help doctors decide which people need a CT scan after a head injury. This study looked at six blood markers in adults with head injuries who were considered medium risk under UK NICE guidance. Some markers, especially GFAP, helped identify people with scan abnormalities and could potentially reduce the number of unnecessary CT scans. More research is needed before these tests can be used routinely in emergency care.