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Head Impact Sensor Studies In Sports: A Systematic Review Of Exposure Confirmation Methods

Annals of Biomedical Engineering volume 48, pages 2497–2507 (2020)Cite this article

Abstract

To further the understanding of long-term sequelae as a result of repetitive head impacts in sports, in vivo head impact exposure data are critical to expand on existing evidence from animal model and laboratory studies. Recent technological advances have enabled the development of head impact sensors to estimate the head impact exposure of human subjects in vivo. Previous research has identified the limitations of filtering algorithms to process sensor data. In addition, observer and/or video confirmation of sensor-recorded events is crucial to remove false positives. The purpose of the current study was to conduct a systematic review to determine the proportion of published head impact sensor data studies that used filtering algorithms, observer confirmation and/or video confirmation of sensor-recorded events to remove false positives. Articles were eligible for inclusion if collection of head impact sensor data during live sport was reported in the methods section. Descriptive data, confirmation methods and algorithm use for included articles were coded. The primary objective of each study was reviewed to identify the primary measure of exposure, primary outcome and any additional covariates. A total of 168 articles met the inclusion criteria, the publication of which has increased in recent years. The majority used filtering algorithms (74%). The majority did not use observer and/or video confirmation for all sensor-recorded events (64%), which suggests estimates of head impact exposure from these studies may be imprecise.

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Acknowledgments

The current study was funded by the Pennsylvania Department of Health and the National Institute of Neurologic Disorders and Stroke of the National Institutes of Health (R01NS097549). The content of this systematic review is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the Pennsylvania Department of Health and/or the National Institutes of Health.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Injury Research and Prevention, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, 19146, USA

    Declan A. Patton, Colin M. Huber, Divya Jain, Rachel K. Myers, Catherine C. McDonald, Christina L. Master & Kristy B. Arbogast

  2. Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Colin M. Huber & Divya Jain

  3. Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Rachel K. Myers, Catherine C. McDonald, Christina L. Master & Kristy B. Arbogast

  4. School of Nursing, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Catherine C. McDonald

  5. Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA

    Susan S. Margulies

  6. Sports Medicine and Performance Center, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Christina L. Master

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  1. Declan A. Patton
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  2. Colin M. Huber
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Correspondence to Declan A. Patton.

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Patton, D.A., Huber, C.M., Jain, D. et al. Head Impact Sensor Studies In Sports: A Systematic Review Of Exposure Confirmation Methods. Ann Biomed Eng 48, 2497–2507 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10439-020-02642-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10439-020-02642-6

Keywords

  • General sports trauma
  • Head injuries/concussion
  • Injury prevention
  • Pediatric sports medicine