Asia Coma Electrical Stimulation (the ACES Trial)

TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury)

Coma, traumatic brain injury, median nerve stimulation

This study is a prospective multicenter randomized controlled trial from Asian countries to compare the effect and safety of right median nerve stimulation versus traditional treatment for comatose patients at the early stage following traumatic brain injury.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of mortality and morbidity and one of the greatest unmet needs in public health. The most severe injury can lead to a poor outcome and prolonged coma of the victims. It is estimated that ten to fifteen percent of the severe TBI patients are discharged in a prolonged coma or a vegetative state. However, no treatment measure to data has been proven robustly to alter the pace of recovery or improve neurological outcome of the comatose patients following TBI. Although right median nerve electrical stimulation (RMNS) has been used clinically for more than two decades, no strong evidence of efficacy was generated because of the limitations in the past trials including a small sample size or the inappropriate study design. In the present study, a multicenter research network with inclusion of neurotrauma centers from China, India, Nepal and Kazakhstan was established with the aim to validate the efficacy and safety of a promising intervention strategy for traumatic coma at early stage. Since RMNS is a simple, inexpensive, noninvasive technique with a good safety profile, our study will probably add more evidence to the treatment of traumatic coma in Asian countries.