A new bedside device has potential for streamlining the care of patients with suspected intracranial bleeding, but widespread use should await further data.
The FDA has approved a hand-held scanner to help diagnose intracranial hematomas, the agency announced in December.
By directing near-infrared light (which can penetrate bone) into the skull, the Infrascanner Model 1000 can detect characteristic differences in optical density that could signal intracranial bleeding. The data are transmitted wirelessly to a hand-held computer. Clinicians can use this information to help determine whether brain imaging is warranted. Compared with computed tomography (CT), the device has a sensitivity of 75% and a specificity of 82% for detecting intracranial blood.
“While patients with suspected brain injuries routinely receive a CT scan, this portable device offers emergency room physicians a noninvasive mecha…
Author
DisclosuresSpeaker’s bureauGenentech
Grant / Research supportNational Institutes of Health/National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke; Michael Goldberg Stroke Research Fund
Editorial boardsPLOS One; Scientific Reports
Leadership positions in professional societiesNeurocritical Care Society (Research Committee Member)
DisclosuresSpeaker’s bureauGenentech
Grant / Research supportNational Institutes of Health/National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke; Michael Goldberg Stroke Research Fund
Editorial boardsPLOS One; Scientific Reports
Leadership positions in professional societiesNeurocritical Care Society (Research Committee Member)