NEW APPROACHES REGARDING THE USE OF ACTOVEGIN® IN
SUBACUTE/POSTACUTE/SUBCHRONIC TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY
PATIENTS
GELU ONOSE1,2*, DOROTEEA TEOIBAȘ-ȘERBAN1, CRISTINA POPESCU1,2, IOANA ANDONE1, ELENA BRUMĂ1, ANCA MIHĂESCU1, MONICA HARAS1,2, ANA MARIA BUMBEA3,4, AURELIAN ANGHELESCU1,2, TIBERIU SPIRCU2, CRISTINEL BADIU1,2, CRISTINA DAIA1,2
1“Bagdasar Arseni” Teaching Emergency Hospital, Bucharest, Romania
2“Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Bucharest, Romania
3Teaching Neuropsychiatry Hospital, Craiova, Romania
4University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Craiova, Romania
*corresponding author: geluonose@gmail.com
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Abstract:
Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) are a major cause, including for significant disabilities, currently with no cure. The
neurobiotrophic Actovegin® is considered, yet scarcely studied in TBI. The aim of the study was to comparatively assess the
outcomes of Actovegin® therapy on post-TBI patients treated with this medicine versus patients who received standard
therapy. The study was conducted on patients who were admitted for the first time to the Rehabilitation Medicine Clinic
Division of The “Bagdasar-Arseni” Teaching Emergency Hospital, Bucharest, Romania, between December 2004 - May
2016, with the diagnosis of (post-acute) TBI at their first hospitalization (about 1 month duration), within 4 months since
trauma. We reviewed medical records of 74 post TBI inpatients, admitted in our unit. The control group included 41 patients
with only standard supportive and neuro-rehabilitative, therapies; the study group (33 patients) received additionally 200 mg
Actovegin®, 2 tablets/day. Outcomes were objectified through the following scales: Functional Independence Measure (FIM -
total (t), motor (m), cognitive (c)) modified Rankin (Disability) Score (mR(D)S), Glasgow Outcome Score (GOS), Disability
Rating Scale (DRS), Activities of Daily Living (ADL), comparatively: at discharge versus admission. The evolution scores
showed a mean increase in FIMt, FIMm, FIMc and respectively, DRS values, highly significant, for the Actovegin® group
than for the control group (p < 0.001) and, in percentages, significantly higher on GOS (p = 0.001), mR(D)S (p = 0.011) and
ADL (p = 0.021). Actovegin® administration appears to improve functional outcomes post TBI, measured on all the
standardized scales we used. However, larger patients groups, prophensive including for adequate meta-analyses, are needed.

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