Monitoring brain injury

In Europe, an estimated 1.7 million people sustain traumatic brain injury per year. Out of these people, 110,000 die.  A biosensor developed within our department uses rapid-sampling microdialysis to detect ischemia (restricted blood supply to tissue) during spreading electrical depolarisations.  This innovation has given new insights to the brain health of patients who have suffered a traumatic brain injury.  The biosensor is implanted into tissue at risk and provides a real-time readout of chemical markers of metabolism.

Our research has led to:

  1. Improvements in diagnostic precision via the local continuous real-time monitoring method.
  2. Monitoring equipment influencing clinical decision making
  3. Through a clinical-research collaborative network, 6 centres use the monitoring equipment and 15 neurosurgeons and 30 intensive care nurses have been trained in how to use it.
  4. Understanding the relationship between spreading depolarisations and outcome after traumatic brain injury.
  5. Improved outcomes with the application of technology to other tissue types including reconstructive surgery following cancer treatment.