Table 1.
Characteristics of included studies.
| Author & year | Diagnosis | Intervention | Number of participants (EPO/placebo) | Age (yrs, EPO/placebo) | Sex (males (females) in EPO/placebo) | Outcome measure | Outcomes measure time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bai and Gao 2018 | Severe TBI | 6000 IU, within 2 h, on days 3, 5, 10, and 15 | 120 (60/60) | 44.5 ± 11.4/43.1 ± 10.9 | 41 (19)/44 (16) | GOS scores & mortality & adverse events | 10 wks |
| Li et al. 2016 | Severe TBI | 100 units/kg, within 6 h, on days 3, 6, 9, and 12 | 146 (75/71) | 43.4 ± 10.1/41.1 ± 9.6 | 49 (26)/41 (30) | GOS scores & mortality & adverse events | 3 mos |
| Nichol et al. 2015 | Moderate or severe TBI | 40,000 IU, within 24 h, weekly for a max of 3 doses | 602 (305/297) | 30.5 (22.4-47.5)/30.5 (22.9-48.3) | 256 (49)/246 (52) | GOS-E score & mortality & adverse events | 6 mos |
| Aloizos et al. 2015 | Severe TBI | 10000 IU, within 6 h, 7 consecutive days | 42 (24/18) | 29.4 ± 1.3/46.5 ± 4.5 | 23 (19)/16 (2) | GOS-E score & adverse events | 6 mos |
| Robertson et al. 2014 | Severe TBI | 500 IU/kg, 1st dose within 6 h, weekly for 2 more weeks | 200 (102/98) | 31.5 (23-48)/30.0 (22-44) | 89 (12)/84 (14) | GOS, DRS score & adverse events | 6 mos |
| Abrishamkar et al. 2012 | Severe TBI with DAI | 2000 U, on days 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 | 54 (27/27) | 25.2 ± 5.4/27.3 ± 4.8 | 27 (0)/27 (0) | GOS & mortality | 2 wks |
| Nirula et al. 2010 | Moderate or severe TBI | 40,000 units within 6 h | 16 (11/5) | 35 ± 19/40 ± 26 | 8 (3)/3 (2) | Serum NSE, S-100B, ICP values, mortality & adverse events | 5 d |
DRS: Disability Rating Scale; NSE: neuron-specific enolase; DAI: diffuse axonal injury; ICP: intracranial pressure. Age was presented as median (IQR) or mean.