
A prospective randomized clinical trial investigated the effectiveness of total parenteral nutrition (TPN) versus enteral nutrition (EN) in patients with brain injuries characterized by Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) scores between 4 and 10 at admission. The study included 51 patients who were monitored from the time of hospital admission through 18 days post-injury.
Participants were randomly assigned to receive either TPN or EN, both critical approaches to providing nutritional support in patients unable to feed orally. TPN involves delivering nutrients intravenously, bypassing the gastrointestinal tract, while EN provides nutrition through a tube placed in the stomach or small intestine.
The primary outcome was assessed using the Glasgow Outcome Scale, a standardized tool to evaluate functional recovery in brain-injured individuals. The study aimed to determine which method of nutritional support contributed more effectively to patient recovery and overall outcomes.
Initial findings suggested that the method of nutritional delivery may have a significant impact on the recovery trajectory in patients with moderate to severe traumatic brain injury. Further analysis of the data will be necessary to determine long-term implications and to guide future clinical practice in neurocritical care settings.
These results contribute to the growing body of evidence on optimal supportive care for critically injured patients and underscore the importance of personalized nutrition therapy in neurorehabilitation strategies.
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