North Shore-LIJ's Feinstein Institute for Medical Research Receives U.S. Patent for Traumatic Brain Injury Monitoring Tool

MANHASSET, N.Y., Feb. 14, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- North Shore-LIJ's Feinstein Institute for Medical Research announced today that it has received U.S. patent approval for a new device that could help physicians better monitor severe traumatic brain injuries, such as those suffered by combat. 

The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) awarded a $5 million grant in October 2010 to North Shore-LIJ's Feinstein Institute for Medical Research and the University of Cincinnati to develop the device, called a "smart sensor," because of its potential to improve outcomes for combat veterans suffering from severe traumatic brain injury (TBI).

The smart sensor is currently still in the developmental phase.  It is expected to be ready for clinical use in approximately three to four years.

While there are tools in use to measure intracranial pressure and brain oxygen levels, other changes that occur inside the brain are more difficult, if not impossible, to monitor.  In addition to the above, the smart sensor will allow physicians to monitor parameters such as brain glucose, blood flow, temperature, electrical activity and other aspects of brain chemistry.

To design the device, Raj K. Narayan, MD, FACS, chair, neurosurgery at North Shore University Hospital and Long Island Jewish Medical Center and Chunyan Li, Ph.D., a Feinstein researcher have been collaborating over the past six years with engineers and neurosurgical colleagues at the University of Cincinnati.

"This U.S. patent approval is a major step forward towards the improved monitoring of patients suffering from severe brain injury," said Dr. Narayan.  "The first few hours and days after a patient has suffered a severe brain trauma are crucial.  The smart sensor is a catheter system packed with multiple miniaturized sensors that allow for real-time continuous monitoring of key biochemical and physiological parameters.  This information can be critically important in deciding how to treat TBI patients. The more information the neurocritical care team has, the better we can help patients recover."

The smart sensor is currently still in the developmental phase.  It is expected to be ready for clinical use in approximately three to four years.

About The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research

Headquartered in Manhasset, NY, The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research is home to international scientific leaders in many areas including Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, psychiatric disorders, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, sepsis, human genetics, pulmonary hypertension, leukemia, neuroimmunology, and medicinal chemistry. The Feinstein Institute, part of the North Shore-LIJ Health System, ranks in the top 6th percentile of all National Institutes of Health grants awarded to research centers. For more information, visit www.FeinsteinInstitute.org.

SOURCE The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research