FDA Clears First Blood Test for Concussions

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has cleared Abbott Laboratories' blood test that would help doctors assess traumatic brain injury (TBI), commonly known as concussions, the company said on Tuesday.

The clearance marks the first commercially available laboratory blood test for TBI, according to the company, helping the doctors to rule out need for a CT scan in patients with mild TBI.

TBIs are caused by blow or whiplash to the head and can pose risk of short- and long-term effects that can include impairment of memory and movement.

Abbott already has a plasma test for TBI and was cleared by the FDA in 2021.

The new test measures two indicators in the blood that, in elevated concentrations, are tightly correlated to brain injury, the company said.