• Roelf S Breederveld and Wim E Tuinebreijer.
• Surgery and Burn Centre, Red Cross Hospital, Beverwijk, Netherlands.
• Cochrane Db Syst Rev. 2012 Jan 1;12:CD008990.

BackgroundRecombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) increases protein synthesis, therefore it is used in burns with a total body surface area (TBSA) greater than 40%, where there is frequently an increase in protein breakdown and a decrease in protein synthesis. This change in protein metabolism correlates with poor wound healing of the burn and donor sites.ObjectivesTo determine the effects of rhGH on the healing rate of burn wounds and donor sites in people with burns.Search MethodsWe searched the Cochrane Wounds Group Specialised Register (searched 28 June 2012); The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (The Cochrane Library 2012, Issue 6); Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects (DARE) (The Cochrane Library 2011, Issue 3); Ovid MEDLINE (1950 to June Week 3 2012); Ovid MEDLINE (In-Process & Other Non-Indexed Citations June 27, 2012); Ovid EMBASE (1980 to 2012 Week 25); and EBSCO CINAHL (1982 to 21 June 2012).Selection CriteriaRandomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing rhGH with any comparator intervention, e.g. oxandrolone or placebo, in adults or children with burns.Data Collection And AnalysisTwo review authors independently selected studies, assessed trial quality and extracted data. The primary outcomes were the healing of the burn wound and donor sites and the occurrence of wound infections. The secondary outcomes were mortality rate, length of hospital stay, scar assessment, and adverse events: hyperglycaemia and septicaemia.Main ResultsWe included 13 RCTs (701 people). Six of the RCTs included only children aged 1 to 18 years and seven involved only adults (from 18 to 65 years of age). The mean TBSA of the included participants was greater than 49%. Twelve studies compared rhGH with placebo and one study compared rhGH with oxandrolone. Two trials found that compared with placebo, burn wounds in adults treated with rhGH healed more quickly (by 9.07 days; 95% confidence interval (CI) 4.39 to 13.76, I² = 0%). The donor site healing time was significantly shorter in rhGH-treated adults compared with placebo-treated participants (by 3.15 days; 95% CI 1.54 to 4.75, I² = 0%). Two studies in children with the outcome of donor site healing time could be pooled and the donor site healing time was shorter in the rhGH-treated children (by 1.70 days; 95% CI 0.87 to 2.53, I² = 0%). No studies reporting the outcome of wound infection were found. The incidence of hyperglycaemia was higher in adults during rhGH treatment compared with placebo (risk ratio (RR) 2.43; 95% CI 1.54 to 3.85), but not in children. Pooling the studies of adults and children yielded a significantly higher incidence of hyperglycaemia in the rhGH-treated participants (RR 2.65; 95% CI 1.68 to 4.16).Authors' ConclusionsThere is some evidence that using rhGH in people with large burns (more than 40% of the total body surface area) could result in more rapid healing of the burn wound and donor sites in adults and children, and in reduced length of hospital stay, without increased mortality or scarring, but with an increased risk of hyperglycaemia. This evidence is based on studies with small sample sizes and risk of bias and requires confirmation in higher quality, adequately powered trials.

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