Grant: Project Grant

Annually, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is a devastating condition with tremendous public health implications that cost an estimated $76 billion in direct and indirect medical expenses. Over a million Canadians live with the effects of an acquired brain injury. Unfortunately, accessible brain monitoring technologies often trigger an immune response, and are bulky, unwieldy, and strongly invasive. Furthermore, devices are usually connected to monitors in the intensive care unit interfering with patient transportation or total care of the patient. Based on the hypothesis that immediate and continuous monitoring of pressure combined with pO2 in the brain after a traumatic injury will enable an accurate diagnosis of TBI, we propose to develop a miniaturized, wireless, state-of-the-art pressure/oxygen sensing device less than 2mm that could be in the future implanted via a controlled syringe needle delivery. This minimally invasive device will allow to continuously monitor patients at risk and to prevent brain ischemia and associated irreversible damages in children and adults .