Clinical Trials
Clinical Trial
Players having experienced a suspected concussion have been invited to take part in this research project, as identified by your Victorian Amateur Football Association (VAFA) or Eastern Football Netball League (EFNL).
The diagnosis and management of sport-related concussion is challenging, primarily as it is heavily reliant on subjective signs and symptoms. As such, our research group has focused on discovering and validating objective tools to assist with concussion diagnosis and management. In recent published studies in emergency department and sports concussion cohorts, we have shown that measures of brain specific proteins in blood (i.e., blood biomarkers), hold great promise in assisting with this process. However, there are critical gaps in evidence that must be filled to advance the blood tests towards routine clinical use.
What is the purpose of this research?
The aim of this study is to determine how existing and new candidate blood biomarkers (i.e. proteins found in blood that reflect a biological process, in this case brain injury) might be used to assist diagnosis of concussion at clinically relevant stages after injury. It recruits directly from adult Australian football teams from the VAFA and EFNL, rather than just from the subset that attend a hospital emergency department, and thereby generates data most reflective of the sports concussion spectrum. We aim to recruit 300 players with suspected concussion.
By combining an injury report and referral from your football club, repeated symptom evaluation and blood biomarker testing at 24 hours and 48-72 hours, and an expert medical evaluation in a concussion-specific clinic, we aim to produce the high-quality evidence required to progress blood biomarkers towards routine clinical use to assist diagnosis in cases of potential or suspected concussion.
For more information
Please contact Sam van Wetering (Practice Manager) on 1300 858 860 or samvw@sportsmedbiologic.com.au