Does hyperalimentation improve outcome in patients with severe head injury?

The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the effectiveness of hyperalimentary therapy on the outcome in patients after severe head injuries. The observations were carried out in patients admitted within 24 hours after injury and divided into various alimentary groups (hyperalimentation, parenteral nutrition and enteral nutrition). The follow-up examination of patients' reactivity according to the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) performed 8-10 days after admission revealed improvement 1.2 +/- 0.9 pts in hyperalimentary subjects, while in the groups fed enterally or parenterally only 0.6 +/- 0.6 pts and 0.7 +/- 0.9 pts, respectively. In patients with severe head trauma and GCS score level lower than 5 the prognosis is unfavourable, irrespective of the treatment method.