A retrospective cohort study of patients with severe TBI was conducted. Data were collected on all intravenous fluids administered during the first 14 days of admission. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression was used to model the association between daily cumulative pentastarch quintiles and mortality.
Patients receiving pentastarch had higher Acute Physiology and Chronic Health II scores (23.9 vs 21.6, P < .01), frequency of craniotomy (42.5 % vs 21.6 % , P = .02), longer duration of intensive care unit stay (12 vs 4 days, P < .01), and mechanical ventilation (10 vs 3 days, P < .01). On unadjusted Cox regression, patients in the highest quintile of cumulative pentastarch administration had a higher rate of mortality compared with those receiving no colloid (hazard ratio, 3.8; 95 % confidence interval, 1.2-12.4; P = .03). However, this relationship did not persist in the final multivariable model (hazard ratio 1.0; 95 % confidence interval, 0.25-4.1; P = .98).
There was no association between cumulative exposure to pentastarch and mortality in patients with severe TBI.