| Methods |
Randomised controlled trial. No details given on method of randomisation or allocation concealment. |
| Participants |
38 head‐injured patients. Patients with severe extracranial injuries that were expected to alter metabolic demands or to delay use of standard enteral nutrition, such as abdominal organ injury, were excluded from the study. |
| Interventions |
1) Total parenteral nutrition (TPN); within 48hr, 42.5g/l AA, 25% dextrose, 250‐500 soybean oil (n=20)
2) Standard enteral nutrition (SEN); nasogastric, Vital ( a high nitrogen product) (n= 18) |
| Outcomes |
Death
Disability
Assessment of nutritional status |
| Notes |
Nutritional data were collected on all patients until death or for 18 days of hospitalisation. Survival and functional recovery in these patients was monitored for up to 1 year following admission to the study. Disability was measured by a neurosurgeon blinded to the treatment regime and patients were graded as good (resumed normal activities), moderately disabled (disabled but independent), severely disabled (conscious but disabled and dependent), or vegetative (unresponsive and speechless). All patients followed up until discharge, one patient in the TPN group was lost to follow‐up at 1 year. |
| Risk of bias |
| Bias |
Authors' judgement |
Support for judgement |
| Allocation concealment? |
Unclear risk |
B ‐ Unclear |
