Effects of Human Erythropoietin on Functional Outcome of Patients with Traumatic Cervical Cord Injury; A Pilot Randomized Clinical Trial.

Ehsan Ali Alibai, Fahim Baghban, Majid Reza Farrokhi, Navideh Mohebali, Mohammad Hossein Ashraf

Abstract read

In one paragraph

Article in Bulletin of emergency and trauma, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it

0cells of the map it votes in

8citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it

0.6field-weighted citation impact, top 28% of its field

1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

8 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 14 citations in OpenAlex.

Sample sizes and statistical methods in interventional studies on individuals with spinal cord injury: A systematic review.Journal of evidence-based medicine · 2019
Pooled it
Harms of off-label erythropoiesis-stimulating agents for critically ill people.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2017
Pooled it
The effect of combination therapy with erythropoietin and methylprednisolone in patients with traumatic cervical spinal cord injury: a pilot randomized controlled trial.Spinal cord · 2021
Trial
Current and emergent therapies targeting spinal cord injury.Brain & spine · 2025
Review
High-dose preoperative intraperitoneal erythropoietin and intravenous methylprednisolone in acute traumatic spinal cord injuries following decompression surgeries.Open medicine (Warsaw, Poland) · 2025
Article
Advancements in neuroregenerative and neuroprotective therapies for traumatic spinal cord injury.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2024
Review
Clinical Neurorestorative Therapeutic Guidelines for Spinal Cord Injury (IANR/CANR version 2019).Journal of orthopaedic translation · 2020
Review
Regulation of Inflammatory Cytokines for Spinal Cord Injury Repair Through Local Delivery of Therapeutic Agents.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2018
Review

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Ehsan Ali AlibaiDepartment of Neurosurgery, Shiraz University of Medical Science, Shiraz, Iran.

Fahim BaghbanDepartment of Neurosurgery, Shiraz University of Medical Science, Shiraz, Iran.

Majid Reza FarrokhiDepartment of Neurosurgery, Shiraz University of Medical Science, Shiraz, Iran.

Navideh MohebaliDepartment of Neurosurgery, Shiraz University of Medical Science, Shiraz, Iran.

Mohammad Hossein AshrafDepartment of Neurosurgery, Shiraz University of Medical Science, Shiraz, Iran.

Shiraz University · IR

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveTo determine the effects of recombinant human erythropoietin (rhEPO) on functional outcome and disability of patients with traumatic cervical spinal cord injury (SCI).

methodsThis was a randomized, double blind, placebo controlled clinical trial being performed in Nemazee and Shahid Rajaei hospitals of Shiraz during a 3-year period from 2011 to 2014. A total number of 20 patients with acute traumatic cervical SCI less than 8 hours after injury were included. We excluded those with anatomic cord dissection, penetrating cord injury and significant concomitant injury. Patients were randomly assigned to receive rhEPO in 500IU/mL dosage immediately and 24-hour later (n=11) or placebo (n=9). All the patient received standard regimen of methylprednisolone. Neurological function was assessed on admission, 1, 6 and 12 months after the injury according to the American Spinal Cord Injury Association (ASIA).

resultsOverall we include a total number of 20 patients. The mean age of the patients was found to be 40.1±9.5 (ranging from 19 to 59) years. There were 18 (90.0%) men and 2 (10.0%) women among the patients. There was no significant difference between two study groups regarding the baseline characteristics. The baseline ASIA score was comparable between two study groups. The motor and sensory ASIA scores were comparable between two study groups after 1, 6 and 12 months follow-ups. We also found that there was no significant difference between two study groups regarding the motor and sensory outcome in complete cord injury and incomplete cord injury subgroups.

conclusionAdministration of rhEPO does not improve the functional outcome of patients with traumatic cervical SCI.

Indexed as

Cervical cord injuryDisabilityErythropoietinFunctional outcomeNeuroprotective effect

Identifiers

PMID27162908

PMCPMC4771246

OpenAlexW2144705248

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata

Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.