• Gerie J Glas, Johannes Muller, Jan M Binnekade, Berry Cleffken, Kirsten Colpaert, Barry Dixon, Nicole P Juffermans, Paul Knape, Marcel M Levi, Bert G Loef, David P Mackie, Manu Malbrain, Marcus J Schultz, and Koenraad F van der Sluijs.
• Laboratory of Experimental Intensive Care and Anesthesiology (L · E · I C · A), Department of Intensive Care Medicine, Academic Medical Center, M0-210, Meibergdreef 9, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, the Netherlands. g.j.glas@amc.uva.nl.
• Trials. 2014 Jan 1;15:91.

BackgroundPulmonary coagulopathy is a hallmark of lung injury following inhalation trauma. Locally applied heparin attenuates lung injury in animal models of smoke inhalation. Whether local treatment with heparin benefits patients with inhalation trauma is uncertain. The present trial aims at comparing a strategy using frequent nebulizations of heparin with standard care in intubated and ventilated burn patients with bronchoscopically confirmed inhalation trauma.MethodsThe Randomized Controlled Trial Investigating the Efficacy and Safety of Nebulized HEParin versus Placebo in BURN Patients with Inhalation Trauma (HEPBURN) is an international multi-center, double-blind, placebo-controlled, two-arm study. One hundred and sixteen intubated and ventilated burn patients with confirmed inhalation trauma are randomized to nebulizations of heparin (the nebulized heparin strategy) or nebulizations of normal saline (the control strategy) every four hours for 14 days or until extubation, whichever comes first. The primary endpoint is the number of ventilator-free days, defined as days alive and breathing without assistance during the first 28 days, if the period of unassisted breathing lasts for at least 24 consecutive hours.DiscussionAs far as the authors know, HEPBURN is the first randomized, placebo-controlled trial, powered to investigate whether local treatment with heparin shortens duration of ventilation of intubated and ventilated burn patients with inhalation trauma.Trial RegistrationNCT01773083 (http://www.clinicaltrials.gov), registered on 16 January 2013.Recruiting. Randomisation commenced on 1 January 2014.

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