Brain oxygen monitoring to improve recovery after severe head injury
Official title: Brain Oxygen Optimization in Severe Traumatic Brain Injury - Phase 3 (BOOST-3)
Funded at University of Michigan at Ann Arbor · NIH-11471591 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project compares standard intracranial pressure care with added brain-tissue oxygen monitoring to help people with severe traumatic brain injury avoid low brain oxygen and improve recovery.
Quick facts
| Grant type | U01 cooperative agreement |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Michigan at Ann Arbor NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Ann Arbor, United States) |
| Project start | July 1, 2018 |
| Project end | February 28, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $75,000 |
| NIH project number | 3U01NS099046-06S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11471591 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are people with severe traumatic brain injury who are admitted to the ICU and require invasive neuromonitoring.
✕Less likely to help
People with mild or moderate head injury who are not in the ICU or for whom invasive brain monitoring is unsafe would not be eligible and are unlikely to benefit directly.
What this research studies
If you or a loved one has a severe traumatic brain injury and is in the ICU, this trial would use a small brain oxygen probe in addition to usual monitoring. Patients are randomly assigned to care guided by brain-tissue oxygen levels versus the usual intracranial pressure–guided care, and clinicians use specific steps to raise brain oxygen when it falls. Earlier Phase 2 results showed a large drop in time spent with low brain oxygen and a trend toward better function. This Phase 3 trial tests whether adding brain oxygen monitoring leads to clearer improvements in recovery and outcomes.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could reduce dangerous brain oxygen shortages and improve functional recovery and survival after severe TBI.
How similar studies have gone: A prior randomized Phase 2 BOOST trial reduced the time spent with low brain tissue oxygen by 74% and showed a favorable trend in functional outcomes, motivating this Phase 3 trial to test clinical benefit.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Michigan at Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Silbergleit, Robert — University of Michigan at Ann Arbor
- Study coordinator: Silbergleit, Robert
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.