Effect of erythropoietin on SOFA score, glasgow coma scale and mortality in traumatic brain injury patients: a randomized-double blind controlled trial

Recent studies suggest that erythropoietin has an anti-inflammatory effect on the central nervous system. We aimed to investigate the effect of erythropoietin on GCS, SOFA scores, and the mortality rate of TBI patients. Sixty-eight patients with available inclusion criteria were randomly allocated to the control or intervention groups. In the intervention group, erythropoietin (4,000 units) was administrated on days one, three, and five. In the control group, normal saline on the same days was used. The primary outcomes were the GCS and SOFA score changes during the intervention. The secondary outcomes were the ventilation period during the first two weeks and the three-month mortality rate. Erythropoietin administration significantly affected SOFA score over time (P=0.008), but no significant effect on the GCS, and duration of ventilation between the two groups was observed. Finally, erythropoietin had no significant effect on the three-month mortality (23.5% vs. 38.2% in the erythropoietin and control group respectively). However, the mortality rate in the intervention group was lower than in the control group. Our finding showed that erythropoietin administration in TBI may improve SOFA score. Therefore, erythropoietin may have beneficial effects on early morbidity and clinical improvement in TBI patients.