• Marc G Jeschke, Celeste C Finnerty, Gabriela A Kulp, Rene Przkora, Ronald P Mlcak, and David N Herndon.
• Shriners Hospitals for Children and the Department of Surgery, University Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA. majeschk@utmb.edu
• Pediatr Crit Care Me. 2008 Mar 1;9(2):209-16.

ObjectiveRecombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) is a salutary modulator of posttraumatic metabolic responses. However, rhGH administration is associated with deleterious side effects, such as hyperglycemia, increased free fatty acids, and triglycerides, which limit its use. Administration of beta-blocker attenuates cardiac work and resting energy expenditure after severe thermal injury and improves fat metabolism and insulin sensitivity. Therefore, the combination of rhGH plus propranolol appears ideal. The aim of the present study was to determine whether rhGH plus propranolol improves hypermetabolism and the inflammatory and acute phase response after severe burn without causing adverse side effects.DesignProspective randomized control trial.SettingShriners Hospitals for Children.PatientsFifteen pediatric patients with burns > 40% total body surface area, 0.1-16 yrs of age, admitted within 7 days after burn. Fifteen children were matched for burn size, age, gender, inhalation injury, and infection and served as controls.InterventionsPatients in the experimental group received rhGH (0.2 mg/kg/day) and propranolol (to decrease heart rate by 15%) for > or = 15 days.Measurements And Main ResultsOutcome measurements included resting energy expenditure, body composition, acute phase proteins, and cytokines. Both cohorts were similar in age, burn size, gender, and accompanying injuries. Percent predicted resting energy expenditure significantly decreased in patients receiving rhGH/propranolol (Delta -5% +/- 8%) compared with controls (Delta +35% +/- 20%) (p < .05). rhGH/propranolol administration significantly decreased serum C-reactive protein, cortisone, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, free fatty acids, interleukin-6, interleukin-8, and macrophage inflammatory protein-1beta when compared with controls, while growth hormone/propranolol increased serum insulin-like growth factor-I, insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3, growth hormone, prealbumin, and interleukin-7 when compared with placebo (p < .05).ConclusionsrhGH in combination with propranolol attenuates hypermetabolism and inflammation without the adverse side effects found with rhGH therapy alone.

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