It was just a few months ago where I featured a brief review of Shenfu injection for the treatment of patients with septic shock. The conclusion: promising, yet – possibly because I’m simply culturally obtuse – a healthy dose of skepticism seems warranted.
This is another example of Shenfu injection in a randomized, controlled trial – this time for in-hospital cardiac arrest. Shenfu, just to recap:
Shenfu injection (SFI), produced by using multistage counter current extraction and macroporous resin adsorption technology, is a well-known TCM formulation containing ginseng (Panax; family: Araliaceae) and aconite (Radix aconiti lateralis preparata, Aconitum carmichaeli Debx; family: Ranunculaceae). Ginsenosides and aconite alkaloids are the main active ingredients in Shenfu.
In this trial, patients were randomized – in open-label fashion – to either a post-resuscitation bundle, or the same bundle plus twice-daily 100mg Shenfu infusions. Treatment was continued for 14 days or transfer out of the ICU, whichever came first.
These authors assessed 1,022 patients, 44 of whom were not randomized because consent could not be obtained. The remaining 978 were allocated to the two arms, approximately 35 of whom in each group died before receiving the study intervention. Baseline characteristics, adjudicated cause of arrest, presenting rhythm, and follow-up care were similar between the two groups. The most common rhythm, by far, was asystole, at ~82% of each group.
The winner, again, is the Shenfu injection cohort, by far. 28-day survival was 42.7% versus 30.1%, 90-day survival was 39.6% vs. 25.9%, median ventilation and hospital length of stay were ~4 days shorter, and hospital costs reflected these shorter time periods. Not only was survival improved, but a greater proportion of survivors were discharged with cerebral performance scores of 1 or 2, rather than with severe disability or coma.
There are obvious limitations, the lack of blinding for the treating physicians most potentially biasing. However, this is, again, a large effect size for a very meaningful outcome. Considering the other utter rubbish otherwise approved and marketed in modern medicine, it should be prioritized, to say the least, to further evaluate in a prospective fashion – particularly outside of China.
Now, if we wanted to get television-miracle levels of survival, we should just combine this with high-dose Vitamin C therapy!
“Efficacy and Safety of Combination Therapy of Shenfu Injection and Postresuscitation Bundle in Patients With Return of Spontaneous Circulation After In-Hospital Cardiac Arrest: A Randomized, Assessor-Blinded, Controlled Trial”
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28661970