Abstract | BACKGROUND: METHODS: One hundred sixty-five patients were divided into 4 groups, according to area of brain damage and injury mechanism. All patients' brains were imaged by Tc-ECD single-photon emission computerized tomography (SPECT), before and 1 hour after treatment with 10 mg of zolpidem. Simultaneously, 3 quantitative indicators of brain function and damage were obtained using cerebral state monitor. Thirty-eight patients withdrew from the study after the first zolpidem dose. The remaining 127 patients received a daily dose of 10 mg of zolpidem for 1 week and were monitored again at the end of this week. RESULTS: One hour after treatment with zolpidem, cerebral state index was increased and burst suppression reduced in both brain contrecoup contusion and space-occupying brain compression groups (P < 0.05). SPECT showed, 1 hour after medication, that cerebral perfusion was improved in both brain contrecoup contusion and space-occupying brain compression groups, but no changes were seen in primary and secondary brain stem injury groups. In the 127 patients' group, after 1 week of zolpidem treatment, all parameters obtained from cerebral state monitor were not statistically different compared with those after the initial medication (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS:
Zolpidem is an effective medicine to restore brain function in patients in vegetative state after brain injury, especially for those whose brain injuries are mainly in non-brain-stem areas. Improvement of brain function is sudden rather than gradual.
|
Authors | Bo Du, Aijun Shan, Yujuan Zhang, Xianliang Zhong, Dong Chen, Kunhao Cai |
Journal | The American journal of the medical sciences
(Am J Med Sci)
Vol. 347
Issue 3
Pg. 178-82
(Mar 2014)
ISSN: 1538-2990 [Electronic] United States |
PMID | 23462249
(Publication Type: Clinical Trial, Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
|
Chemical References |
- Hypnotics and Sedatives
- Organotechnetium Compounds
- Pyridines
- Zolpidem
- technetium Tc 99m bicisate
- Cysteine
|
Topics |
- Adult
- Brain
(blood supply)
- Brain Injuries
(diagnostic imaging, drug therapy, physiopathology)
- Cerebrovascular Circulation
(drug effects)
- Cysteine
(analogs & derivatives)
- Female
- Humans
- Hypnotics and Sedatives
(therapeutic use)
- Male
- Middle Aged
- Organotechnetium Compounds
- Persistent Vegetative State
(diagnostic imaging, drug therapy, physiopathology)
- Pyridines
(therapeutic use)
- Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon
- Zolpidem
|