[Clinical evaluation of the effects of rhGH on the management of severely burned patients].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the effectiveness and the safety of clinical use of rhGH in the management of severe burn patients.


METHODS
Two hundred burn patients aged 20 - 25 yrs with TBSA from 20% to 50% and admitted within 5 postburn days (PBD) were enrolled in this study. The patients were divided into operation and non-operation groups. Furthermore, each group was randomly divided into control (N), treatment with rhGH in dosage 0.2 IU/Kg/d (A) and treatment with rhGH in dosage 0.4 IU/kg/d (B) groups. The general data, the metabolism of protein and glucose, the immune function, the urine biochemistry, the wound healing rate and hospital stay days recorded and compared among all groups.


RESULTS
Plasma protein was increased, the immune function recovered early, the wound healing time was shortened obviously, the wound healing rate was increased evidently and the hospital stay days were decreased significantly in the treatment groups (A and B groups) compared with the N group. The body weight of burn patients remained unchanged in N group. Nevertheless, the plasma levels of glucose and insulin were increased and the urine output of potassium, sodium and chloride decreased in N group compared with those in A and B groups. Moreover, the levels of all these indices in B group were higher than those in A group, whereas side effects were more common in B group than in A group. In addition, the incidence of adverse reaction was higher in operation group than that in non-operation group.


CONCLUSIONS
rhGH could effectively promote protein synthesis, enhance systemic immune function, accelerate wound healing and shorten hospital stay days in severely burned patients. But attention should be paid to appropriate dosage and duration of use.
Xu
Hui
H
Institute of Burn Research, Southwestern Hospital, The Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, P.R. China.
Huang
Yuesheng
Y
Peng
Yizhi
Y
Liu
Xusheng
X
Luo
Qizhi
Q
Tian
Xuegong
X
Liu
Xiaobing
X
D000328:Adult; D002056:Burns / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology; D016516:CD4-CD8 Ratio; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D013006:Growth Hormone / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D014945:Wound Healing
D013006:Growth Hormone