Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39853384›Full record

ArticleEuropean journal of trauma and emergency surgery : official publication of the European Trauma Society2025

Effects of early propranolol administration on mortality from severe, traumatic brain injury: a retrospective propensity score-matched registry study.

Jinpyo Hong, Mason T Stoltzfus, David R Hallan, Francis J Jareczek, Zachary Freedman, David Bailey, Elias Rizk, Haejoe Park

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Article in European journal of trauma and emergency surgery : official publication of the European Trauma Society, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Early propranolol administration following severe traumatic brain injury is not associated with reduced mortality when correcting for immortal time bias.European journal of trauma and emergency surgery : official publication of the European Trauma Society · 2025
    Article
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

8 authors.

Jinpyo HongDepartment of Neurosurgery, Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, PA, 17033, USA. hong.jinpyooo7@gmail.com.
Mason T StoltzfusDepartment of Neurosurgery, Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, PA, 17033, USA.
David R HallanDepartment of Neurosurgery, Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, PA, 17033, USA.
Francis J JareczekDepartment of Neurosurgery, Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, PA, 17033, USA.
Zachary FreedmanDepartment of Neurosurgery, Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, PA, 17033, USA.
David BaileyDepartment of Neurosurgery, Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, PA, 17033, USA.
Elias RizkDepartment of Neurosurgery, Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, PA, 17033, USA.
Haejoe ParkDepartment of Neurosurgery, Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, PA, 17033, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe role of beta-blockers in severe, traumatic brain injury (TBI) management is debated. Severe TBI may elicit a surge of catecholamines, which has been associated with increased morbidity and mortality. We hypothesize administering propranolol, a non-selective beta-blocker, within 48 h of TBI will reduce patient mortality within 30 days of injury. The TriNetX database was leveraged to determine if administering a propranolol within 48 h of severe TBI improves outcomes within 30 days of injury.

methodsThe TriNetX Research Network was used to form two cohorts using retrospective data from 106,294,356 patient profiles from 9/10/2022, which included patients from years 2022 to 2022. The propranolol-receiving cohort included all patients who received the first-instance diagnosis of severe TBI (defined by a Glascow coma scale score of 3-8) and propranolol within 48 h of injury. The non-propranolol-receiving cohort included all patients with the same diagnosis of severe TBI but did not receive beta-blockers. The primary outcome of interest was mortality at 30 days. Secondary outcomes included gastrostomy tube placement, neurosurgical intervention in the form of craniotomy, craniectomy, burr hole drainage, seizure, and cardiac arrest.

resultsAfter propensity score-matching, 381 patients were identified for both cohorts. At 30 days post-severe TBI, 22.7% (84) of patients from the cohort that received propranolol, and 30.77% (116) from the cohort that did not, were deceased (OR 0.66), 95% CI [0.48, 0.92]), (p 0.01). TBI patients who received propranolol also had lower odds of requiring neurosurgical intervention, experience seizures, and cardiac arrest.

conclusionThe results of this study demonstrate significantly reduced mortality within 30 days of injury and fewer neurosurgical interventions, seizures, and episodes of cardiac arrest in severe TBI patients who received propranolol within 48 h of injury.

Indexed as

Adrenergic beta-AntagonistsBrain Injuries, TraumaticPropranololAdultAgedFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedPropensity ScoreRegistriesRetrospective StudiesAdrenergic beta-AntagonistsPropranololBetablockerNeurocritical careTraumatic brain injury

Identifiers

PMID39853384

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Registered trials

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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.