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Effects of recombinant human growth hormone on donor-site healing in severely burned children
D N Herndon1, R E Barrow, K R Kunkel
1Shriners Burns Institute, Galveston, TX 77550.
Insights
Recombinant human growth hormone (rHGH) significantly improves wound healing in severely burned children. Treatment with 0.2 mg/kg/day rHGH reduced healing times and hospital stays for pediatric burn patients.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Burn Care
- Endocrinology
- Regenerative Medicine
Background:
- Severe burns in children present significant challenges for wound healing and recovery.
- Growth hormone (GH) plays a crucial role in metabolic processes and tissue repair.
- Optimizing treatment strategies for pediatric burn patients is essential to reduce morbidity and mortality.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the efficacy of recombinant human growth hormone (rHGH) in accelerating wound healing in severely burned children.
- To evaluate the impact of rHGH on donor-site healing times and overall length of hospital stay.
- To assess the effect of rHGH on serum Insulin-like Growth Factor 1 (IGF-1) levels in pediatric burn patients.
Main Methods:
- A double-blind, randomized study involving 40 pediatric patients (2-18 years) with severe burns (≥40% TBSA).
- Patients received either placebo or varying doses of rHGH (0.1 mg/kg/day or 0.2 mg/kg/day).
- Outcomes measured included donor-site healing time, length of hospital stay (LOS/%TBSA), and serum IGF-1 levels.
Main Results:
- Patients receiving 0.2 mg/kg/day rHGH showed significantly higher serum IGF-1 levels compared to placebo (4.8 vs. 1.6 U/mL, p<0.05).
- A significant decrease in donor-site healing times was observed in the 0.2 mg/kg/day rHGH group (p<0.05).
- The 0.2 mg/kg/day rHGH treatment reduced length of hospital stay from 0.80 to 0.54 days/%TBSA burned (p<0.05), translating to a 14-day reduction for a 60% TBSA burn patient.
Conclusions:
- Recombinant human growth hormone (rHGH) at 0.2 mg/kg/day is effective in improving wound healing in severely burned children.
- rHGH treatment accelerates donor-site healing and significantly reduces the length of hospital stay in pediatric burn patients.
- The study supports the use of rHGH as an adjunct therapy to enhance recovery outcomes for severe pediatric burns.
Abstract:
The beneficial effects of growth hormone on wound healing in severely burned children were studied. Forty patients who were 2 to 18 years old, with 40% or more total body surface area (TBSA) and 20% or more TBSA full-thickness flame or scald burns, were randomized in a double-blind study to receive placebo or 0.1 mg/kg/day recombinant human growth hormone (rHGH) until the first donor site healed or to receive 0.2 mg/kg/day rHGH or placebo from admission throughout hospitalization. Patients receiving 0.2 mg/kg/day rHGH demonstrated significantly higher serum IGF-1 levels at 4.8 +/- 1.7 U/mL compared to placebos at 1.6 +/- 0.4 U/mL (p less than 0.05) and a significant decrease in donor-site healing times compared to placebo (p less than 0.05). Length of hospital stay (LOS/%TBSA) was decreased from 0.80 +/- 0.10 days/%TBSA burned in the placebo group to 0.54 +/- 0.04 days/%TBSA burned in the 0.2 mg/kg/day treatment group (p less than 0.05). This translates, for the average 60% TBSA burned patient, to a decrease in LOS from 46 to 32 days.