Pharmacological components with neuroprotective effects in the management of traumatic brain injury: evidence from network meta-analysis

Background Neuroprotective drugs have been used to prevent secondary brain injury in patients with traumatic brain injury; however, the optimal medication remains questionable. We performed a Bayesian network meta-analysis to evaluate the safety and efficacy of different medications with known neuroprotective properties in this group of patients. Methods Several databases were searched to identify any eligible trials comparing pharmacological components with confirmed neuroprotective mechanisms. Bayesian network meta-analysis was performed to combine direct and indirect evidence. The surface under the cumulative ranking curve was obtained to determine the ranking probability of the treatment agents for each outcome. The primary outcome was all-cause mortality. Results A total of 23 trials comprising 4,325 participants were identified. The pooled relative risk (RR) showed administration of erythropoietin (RR: 0.68; 95% CrI: 0.50-0.93) and propranolol (RR: 0.43; 95% CrI: 0.20-0.85) decreased all-cause mortality compared with placebo. We also found erythropoietin (RR: 1.55; 95% CrI: 1.03-2.35), propranolol (RR: 1.52; 95% CrI: 1.05-2.20), and progesterone (RR: 1.47; 95% CrI: 1.03-2.10) showed better efficacy in functional recovery. Conclusion Overall, erythropoietin and propranolol were associated with reduced mortality in adults with traumatic brain injury. These treatment agents were also associated with improved functional outcomes.

Automated summary

The authors conducted a Bayesian network meta-analysis to evaluate the safety and efficacy of different medications with neuroprotective properties in patients with traumatic brain injury. The results showed that erythropoietin and propranolol were associated with reduced mortality and improved functional recovery.