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High Calorie Diet after Brain Injury
MedPage Today’s Charles Bankhead reports that increasing nutritional intake within 5 days of sustaining a brain injury may lead to a 50% reduction in mortality rate. While there is no clinical trial scheduled to prove this findings – as it would raise ethical issues, it is none the less something to be aware of.
According to the article:
Approximately 85% of deaths associated with traumatic brain injury occur within the first two weeks. Trials of drug therapy have consistently failed to show a survival advantage, the authors noted. The only factors shown to improve survival are proper transport systems and maintenance of cerebral perfusion and oxygenation.
A recent review by the Cochrane Collaboration suggested early feeding may improve outcomes after traumatic brain injury, the authors continued. Recommendations supporting nutritional support within the first week of traumatic brain injury have been based on limited data. Moreover, no studies had examined the impact of the amount and frequency of feeding on outcomes.
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