Evaluation of beta-blocker effects on patients with traumatic brain injury: interventional double-blinded randomized controlled trial

Background Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major cause of death and disability throughout the world. Traumatic injury is one of the most common causes of death in people under the age of 40 worldwide, and one-third of all trauma-related deaths are a result of intracranial insults. We aimed to conduct a randomized controlled trial examining the effect of beta-blockers on outcomes in TBI patients. Result Regarding CT brain, 45% of cases in the beta-blocker group and 60% of cases in the control group had abnormal CT findings. Contusion and brain edema were still observed in the beta-blocker group (5% in each), while hemorrhage was still found in 35% of cases in the beta-blocker group and 55% of cases in the control group. Furthermore, a fractured skull was observed in 5% of cases in the beta-blocker group and 20% of cases in the control group. No significant differences were found between the two groups regarding CT brain findings (p-value was > 0.05). Mortality was 15% in the beta-blocker group and 30% in the control group, while 95% of patients in the beta-blocker group and 90% of patients in the control group had ICU stay ≤ 14 days. Conclusions Total hospital stay > 14 days showed a significant rise in the beta control group when compared to the blocker group while no significant differences between them in survival, ICU stay, total hospital stay, and total hospital length of stay for patients stayed ≤ 14. Patients in the beta-blocker group showed no significant differences in overall survival compared to patients in the control group. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT05195996.