Tetramethylpyrazine protects brain function from severe brain injury in patients: quantitative research / 中华急诊医学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate the effect of Tetramethylpyrazine (extracted from Chinese herbal medicine Ligusticum wallichii) employed in the early stage of severe brain injury on the restoration of brain function in coma patients monitored with digitized cerebral state monitor and clinical signs.Methods A total of 364 patients were referred to us from Emergency Department and Neurosurgery Department,Shenzhen People's Hospital from January 2006 through May 2012.The scores of patients'GlasgowPittsburgh coma scales were between 7-20 as brain injury happened within 24 h and survived more than two weeks.All patients were randomly (random number) divided into two groupsTetramethylpyrazine group (n =186) and control group (n =178).The patients of control group received routine treatment,and the patients of Tetramethylpyrazine group were treated with Tetramethylpyrazine in addition to routine treatment in early stage.The patients of two groups were assessed with cerebral state indexes (CSI) and GlasgowPittsburgh coma scales before treatment and 3,7,14 days after treatment.Statistical comparisons between groups were analyzed by using repeated measure design analysis of variance.Results A repeated measures design analysis of variance indicated that the CSI and clinical signs (Glasgow-Pittsburgh coma scale) were improved significantly in Tetramethylpyrazine group than those in the control group at 3,7,14 days after treatment (P =0.024).Conclusions Tetramethylpyrazine can protect brain function and improve clinical signs in patients with severe brain injury in the early stage.