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Researchers are evaluating a new "microwave helmet" that can be used to examine head trauma, brain cells and evaluate brain injuries while cutting time by half compared to existing head injury medical devices.

The Medical News Today reveals a new portable device developed at the Chalmers University of Technology and Sahlgrenska University Hospital, both in Gothenburg and Sweden. The device used in their small trial revealed that microwave technology can be used for the rapid evaluation of intracranial bleeding because of head injuries. The report of the experiment findings was posted on the Journal of Neurotrauma.

Although the study was considered as small and focused on one type of injury, the results already indicate that microwave measurements can be used in ambulance and on other care settings to immediately address possible issues resulting from head injuries.

The New Scientist meanwhile reports that traumatic brain injury is one of the top causes of deaths for people aged 65 and older in the United States from 2006 to 2010. Vehicle crashes that lead to cause TBI was also the leading cause of death for young people aged between five and 24. Survivors, on the other hand, may end up enduring disabilities for the rest of their lives.

The microwave helmet developed to evaluate head injuries outside a hospital setting is made up of a helmet incorporated with microwave antennae that is placed on the patient's head, a signal generator, and a computer that controls, gathers data and process them to be used in applying treatment. The device, through the help of microwave technology, can differentiate people with head injuries who have severe conditions such as brain bleeding to those who are not.

The trial was conducted on 20 patients with traumatic intracranial hematomas, 20 patients with chronic subdural hematoma and 20 healthy volunteers. They were admitted in a hospital to undergo surgery in a Swedish hospital.

CT scan results were used to compare with the microwave helmet results. Results shows that using the microwave helmet offers a promising tool that has an improved accuracy that can detect hematomas at 100 percent sensitivity and 75 percent specificity. This can help in revolutionizing treatments and early diagnosis of head injuries in the US and the rest of the world.