Pilot Study of NeuroTriage Device in Patients with Potential Brain Injury And/or Impairment

Study personnel will identify potential subjects in the ED, hospital and ICU during "peak hours" as appropriate through conferring with medical records, trauma logs, triage notes, and head CT, MRI, and other brain imaging orders as well as on-duty doctors and nurses to identify potential subjects. Many of the inclusion/exclusion criteria can be evaluated by a review of the potential subject's medical records, such as mechanism of injury or impairment, extent of non-head injuries, prior medical history, and prior clinical visits at the center of care. When a potential subject is identified and has been screened against the primary set of inclusion/exclusion criteria, they will be approached about the study.

Prior to enrolling a subject, the research personnel will screen the subject for competency to provide informed consent. This is necessary because, by its very nature, suspected brain injury patients may or may not be able to initially provide informed consent. The Galveston Orientation and Amnesia Test (GOAT) will be used as the standard assessment instrument for this screening. A score of 75 or greater on the GOAT would indicate that the subject is competent to provide informed consent. If the subject scores < 75 on the GOAT, then consent must be provided by a Legally Authorized Representative (LAR). This is a threshold of competency that has been used in previous studies here at UTSW.

Potential subjects that pass the GOAT will be given time to read the Consent Form and to consult with family members who may be present or by phone. If the subject agrees to participate, then they will sign the appropriate forms. A copy of the form will be given to the subject. The NeuroTriage and GOAT will then be serially performed on the patient no more than once every two hours (particularly in the ED, where the stay is often short) or with changes in neurological status.