Researchers had high hopes that progesterone, that multipurpose endogenous steroid, could stave off some of the worst effects of head injuries. A quick injection soon after a blunt trauma and -- wa-zam -- marked improvement on the widely used Glasgow Outcome Scale, which measures brain injuries on a scale from death to low disability. Or so they thought.
Instead, a nationwide clinical trial was called off after early analyses showed no benefit. The findings were published last week in The New England Journal of Medicine.
"These results are plainly disappointing," said lead investigator David Wright, MD, an emergency medicine physician at Emory University, in an Emory release.
Stanford, in partnership with Santa Clara Valley Medical Center and the Regional Medical Center of San Jose, enrolled approximately 80 patients in the study between 2008 and 2013, said James Quinn, MD, a Stanford emergency medicine physician. Quinn said there were many benefits to the study even though the results didn't suggest an improvement.
"The patients all got great care," Quinn said. The care teams worked to ensure the care was standardized and top notch for study participants, he said. In addition, there's still a possibility that progesterone administered closer to the time of injury might help patients. To adhere with study protocols, the teams had to wait one hour after the patient arrived at the emergency room before providing the progesterone or placebo, Quinn said.
The study had a unique design, in part because emergency trauma patients can often not provide consent. Instead, the research team publicized the study before starting and gave participants the opportunity to opt out when they were able.
Quinn also made note of an observation made by he and his colleagues: Although nationwide most injuries stemmed from vehicle crashes, the Stanford-led teams saw an abundance of bicycle accidents.
Previously: For prolonged seizures, a quick shot often does the trick, study finds, Stanford Medicine story on surviving brain injury wins health journalism award and Estradiol -- but not Premarin -- prevents neurodegeneration in women at heightened dementia risk
Photo by U.S. Navy
