Traumatic brain injury is a leading cause of death and disability. After the initial blow to the head, additional brain damage can occur through a reduction of oxygen to the brain tissues (cerebral hypoxia). Chemicals called aminosteroids have been shown to help stop cell membrane damage and cell death in animals.
The review author searched the medical literature to find out if aminosteroids help people with traumatic brain injury when given within seven days of the injury. The author looked for randomised controlled trials in which one group of patients received a treatment (aminosteroids) while a similar group received non-active treatment (placebo) in addition to standard care. To reduce possible bias, each patient is randomly assigned to a group. The author found two such studies, which used the aminosteroid tirilazad mesylate, but the results of one of the studies were not available at the time of review. The completed study involved 1131 patients. The results of this study showed no benefit from the aminosteroid. The aminosteroid group did not have more side effects than the placebo group but aminosteroids are fairly new drugs that may have unknown less common side effects.
More research is needed on the use of aminosteroids to treat traumatic brain injury but currently there is no evidence to recommend their use.