OAKBROOK TERRACE, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--King-Devick Test, Inc. announced today that, as part of a pilot program during the 2015-16 season, select National Hockey League teams are evaluating the King-Devick Test in association with Mayo Clinic (King-Devick Test) for rink-side concussion screening. The King-Devick Test, which measures impairments of eye movement, speech, language and concentration in comparison to a baseline, has been shown in other studies to be a useful test for the evaluation and diagnosis of concussion.
During concussion assessments following a suspected head injury, team physicians and athletic training staff from 12 NHL teams administer the test which requires players to read numbers spaced on three test cards. Players are measured on speed and accuracy. After a suspected head injury, players’ scores are then compared to their pre-season baseline score. Prior studies involving adolescent and adult athletes involved in a number of different sports have shown that, following suspected head trauma, any slowing of the time required to complete the King-Devick Test (compared to the individual’s baseline) can be an objective indicator as to when a player should be removed from play for further evaluation.
The NHL pilot project will evaluate whether NHL players demonstrate similar findings. Until the data is fully analyzed, the King-Devick Test scores will not be used in clinical decision-making for NHL players.
David Dodick, MD, Professor of Neurology and Director of the Mayo Clinic concussion program, noted that concussion can be a challenging diagnosis on the sideline or rink-side.
“The King-Devick Test accurately measures subtle neurological functions – eye tracking speed, visual accuracy and attention – that are invariably affected immediately after a concussion is sustained and are otherwise very difficult to detect by a routine neurological examination, even by a trained specialist. The test is unbiased, compares athletes to themselves, and is accurate from one examiner to another,” said Dodick.
Added Dr. Ruben Echemendia, Co-Chair of the NHL/NHLPA Concussion Subcommittee, “We are constantly looking for new tests and procedures that may enhance our already comprehensive concussion assessment program and look forward to examining the results of this pilot project. It is our hope that the addition of the King-Devick Test will increase our ability to more-accurately diagnose concussions in NHL players.”
About King-Devick Test, Inc.
King-Devick Test is used worldwide as a proven indicator of saccadic eye movements as they relate to reading, using Rapid Number Naming. Elite neurological journals have called the King-Devick Test an "accurate and reliable method for identifying athletes with head trauma." Other studies have proven King-Devick Test to help determine neurological functionality in Parkinson's disease, Multiple Sclerosis, ALS, extreme sleep deprivation, and hypoxia. In January 2015, Mayo Clinic and King-Devick Test announced a licensing agreement for the sideline concussion test. The King-Devick Concussion Screening Test is now recognized as the King-Devick Test in association with Mayo Clinic. For more information, please visit www.kingdevicktest.com.
