Table 1.
Patient demographics
| Characteristics | Total (44) | Liberal (21) | Restrictive (23) | p value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, years | 35 ± 13 | 33 ± 11 | 36 ± 15 | 0.34 |
| Male | 40 (81) | 20 (95) | 20 (87) | 0.61 |
| GCS at hospital admission | 4 [3–7] | 4 [3–7] | 5 [3–7] | 0.90 |
| Systolic blood pressure, mmHg | 120 ± 24 | 118 ± 20 | 122 ± 28 | 0.64 |
| Pulse rate, bpm | 90 ± 25 | 96 ± 28 | 84 ± 20 | 0.10 |
| Pupil alteration (one or both) | 20 (46) | 7 (33) | 13 (59) | 0.09 |
| Patients transfused RBC before randomization | 24 (55) | 9 (43) | 15 (65) | 0.14 |
| RBC units per patient transfused before randomization | 4.4 ± 6.2 | 3.1 ± 5.2 | 5.6 ± 6.9 | 0.24 |
| Patients transfused other blood products before randomization | 4 (10) | 0 | 4 (17) | 0.11 |
| Brain CT | ||||
| Compressed cisterns | 35 (81) | 17 (85) | 18 (78) | 0.70 |
| Midline deviation ≥ 5 mm | 26 (59) | 10 (48) | 16 (70) | 0.14 |
| Diffuse axonal lesion | 14 (33) | 9 (45) | 5 (22) | 0.10 |
| Subarachnoid hemorrhage | 22 (50) | 13 (62) | 9 (39) | 0.13 |
| Intracranial hematoma | 35 (80) | 17 (81) | 18 (78) | 0.82 |
| Neurosurgical intervention | ||||
| None | 11 (25) | 5 (24) | 6 (26) | 0.86 |
| Epidural hematoma drainage | 6 (14) | 4 (19) | 2 (9) | 0.40 |
| Subdural hematoma drainage | 5 (11) | 1 (5) | 4 (17) | 0.35 |
| Intracerebral hemorrhage drainage | 2 (5) | 1 (5) | 1 (4) | 1.00 |
| Decompressive craniectomy | 17 (39) | 7 (33) | 10 (44) | 0.49 |
| Other | 5 (11) | 3 (14) | 2 (9) | 0.66 |
| Associated trauma lesions | ||||
| Face | 31 (70) | 16 (76) | 15 (65) | 0.43 |
| Neck | 8 (18) | 6 (29) | 2 (9) | 0.13 |
| Thorax | 21 (48) | 11 (52) | 10 (44) | 0.55 |
| Abdomen | 7 (16) | 2 (10) | 5 (22) | 0.42 |
| Pelvis and limbs | 22 (50) | 12 (57) | 10 (44) | 0.36 |
| Spine | 5 (11) | 3 (14) | 2 (9) | 0.66 |
| Mechanism of injury | 0.66 | |||
| Fall | 17 (37) | 7 (33) | 10 (44) | |
| Motorcycle crash | 14 (32) | 6 (29) | 8 (35) | |
| Run over | 5 (11) | 3 (14) | 2 (9) | |
| Physical aggression | 3 (7) | 1 (5) | 2 (9) | |
| Car/bus crash | 4 (9) | 3 (14) | 1 (4) | |
| Other | 1 (2) | 0 | 0 | |
| Pre-hospital transportation | 0.638 | |||
| EMS ambulance | 22 (52) | 12 (57) | 10 (44) | |
| EMS helicopter | 19 (43) | 8 (38) | 11 (48) | |
| Other | 3 (2.4) | 1 (5) | 2 (9) | |
| Prognostic scores | ||||
| SAPS3 at ICU admission | 56 ± 13 | 55 ± 12 | 57 ± 12 | 0.49 |
| CRASH 14-day death risk | 40 ± 18 | 39 ± 18 | 41 ± 19 | 0.82 |
| CRASH 6-month unfavorable outcome risk | 70 ± 19 | 70 ± 17 | 70 ± 22 | 0.91 |
| Injury severity score | 29 ± 9 | 28 ± 9 | 31 ± 9 | 0.40 |
| IMPACT | 49 (15) | 47 (17) | 52 (14) | 0.29 |
| Injury-to-randomization time, h | 71 ± 38 | 75 ± 41 | 65 ± 34 | 0.35 |
Values are expressed as the mean ± standard deviation, median [25th–75th percentiles] or number (percentage)
GCS Glasgow Come Scale, RBC red blood cells, EMS Emergency Medical Service, CT computer tomograph, SAPS Simplified Acute Physiology Score, ICU, Intensive care unit, CRASH Corticoid Randomization After Significant Head injury Score, IMPACT International Mission for Prognosis And Clinical Trial Score