Major brain injury study to be launched in the Twin Cities

Researchers in the Twin Cities are hoping to find better ways to diagnose brain injuries.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 2.2 million people a year visit emergency rooms after suffering a traumatic brain injury, but it's often difficult to determine the severity of each injury — and the severity of the injury affects treatment decisions.

The University of Minnesota, Hennepin County Medical Center and Abbott Diagnostics are collaborating on a study. They hope to enroll a thousand concussion or brain injury patients.

MPR's Cathy Wurzer spoke with one of the researchers, Dr. Uzma Samadani, a neurosurgeon at HCMC.