Growth Hormone Therapy for Muscle Regeneration in Severely Burned Patients

The investigators have previously demonstrated that burn injury causes severe muscle wasting, weight and height retardation, and systemic protein catabolism in pediatric and adult burned patients. The persistent loss of muscle impairs the quality of life of the burned patients, and it also delays autonomy and reintegration into the community. In 2009, the investigators showed that the daily injection of recombinant human growth hormone (GH) for nine months post discharge significantly increased height and weight, as well as lean body mass, in pediatric burned subjects. Our long-term goal is to improve the quality of life of burn patients by preventing height, weight, and muscle loss that may occur from severe protein catabolism. The objectives of this application are to a) attenuate height and weight in burned patients with the administration of GH, b) prevent or reverse loss of muscle and strength in these patients, and c) collect pilot data about cardiopulmonary parameters, scar assessments, and muscle metabolism. Our central hypothesis is that the administration of GH will restore depleted levels of growth hormone and will lead to prevention of lean body mass loss and bone mineral content, improve rehabilitation, and accelerate reintegration of severely burned patients. The investigators will administer either placebo or GH (daily subcutaneous injections of 0.05 mg/kg/day of GH [somatropin, Genotropin, Pfizer, New York, NY] to adult burn subjects (n=31 per group, 18-85 years, >30% total body surface burns) for nine months beginning one week prior to discharge. Both groups will be studied for a total of two years. The following aims will be tested: 1) determine the effects of GH supplementation on body composition, such as lean body mass loss, muscle strength, and exercise endurance; and 2) assess whether rehabilitation and subsequent reintegration of severely burned patients into society can be accelerated. Investigators will measure changes in lean body mass, muscle strength and exercise endurance during the acute hospital stay, discharge, and long-term follow-up visits (6, 12, 18, and 24 months after burn), as well as secondary endpoints such as cardiopulmonary variables, hypertrophic scar development, quality of life questionnaires, and concentrations of relevant hormones, cytokines, and oxidative stress markers.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Burns; Growth Hormone Treatment
• Intervention / Treatment: Drug: Somatropin; Drug: 0.09% Saline Solution

Detailed Description

Either recombinant human growth hormone (daily subcutaneous injections of 0.05 mg/kg/day of GH at discharge [somatropin, Genotropin, Pfizer, New York, NY]; 0.025 mg/kg/day of GH titrated the week before discharge) or placebo (n=31) will be administered to adult burned subjects (n= 31, 18-85 years) after screening and voluntary consent who have ≥30% TBSA assessed by either the Lund and Browder chart or the 'rule of nines' method during excisional surgery. It will be administered daily for 9 months beginning the week before discharge, and the primary and secondary endpoints will be collected during the acute hospital stay, discharge, and long-term follow-up visits (6, 12, 18, and 24 months after burn injury). Additionally, subjects will be contacted frequently [most likely 1 week, 1 month, and 2 months post discharge by telephone] to ensure that there are no adverse events or concerns with their study drug, as well as visit with them during their clinical visits that address their post-burn needs. All subjects will receive similar standard medical care and treatment from the time of emergency admission until their discharge.

Growth hormone will be used to potentially attenuate losses in height, weight, muscle and bone, reverse the oxidative stress of burn injury and, in the process, decrease the secondary consequences of burn injury, including organ dysfunction. This may improve the quality of life of the burn patient by preventing pathophysiology that may result from muscle and bone loss and may reduce hospital stay. Our research will lay the foundation for the future development of effective, safe, and economic therapeutic interventions to treat burn injury-associated metabolic abnormalities. Also, it will provide the basis for the development of supplemental regulations and pharmacotherapy to treat burn patients with GH. The risks are very reasonable in relation to the anticipated benefits to our subjects because a) GH at a higher dose has been tested in pediatric burned subjects with minor adverse events, and b) the subjects will be monitored consistently.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 13
• Phase: Phase 2; Phase 3

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Texas
    • Galveston, Texas, United States, 77550-1220
      • University of Texas Medical Branch

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 85 years (ADULT, OLDER_ADULT)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

INCLUSION CRITERIA

• 18-85 years old
• Over 30% total body surface area burn
• Provide consent and comprehend English or Spanish

EXCLUSION CRITERIA

• History of AIDS, AIDS-related complex, or HIV
• History of or current hepatitis B or C
• Pregnancy
• History of or Active Malignancy
• Insulin dependent diabetes mellitus type I prior to admission
• Insulin dependent diabetes mellitus type II (up to 12 months prior to admission)
• Other hyperglycemic disorders [not including transient post-burn/trauma hyperglycemia]
• Current oral corticosteroid treatment
• Currently participating in another interventional clinical trial at UTMB

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: TREATMENT
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Interventional Model: PARALLEL
• Masking: QUADRUPLE

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
EXPERIMENTAL: Growth Hormone; Daily subcutaneous injections of 0.05 mg/kg/day of Growth Hormone [somatropin, Genotropin, Pfizer, New York, NY] will be administered, from one week prior to discharge until 9 months post-burn.	Drug: Somatropin; Other Names: Genotropin, Growth Hormone (GH)
PLACEBO_COMPARATOR: 0.09% saline solution; Daily subcutaneous injections of 0.09% of saline solution will be administered, from one week prior to discharge until 9 months post-burn.	Drug: 0.09% Saline Solution; Other Names: Placebo, Control

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Lean body mass	Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA) measured in grams	At baseline
Lean body mass	Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA) measured in grams	6 months post burn-injury
Lean body mass	Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA) measured in grams	12 months post burn-injury
Lean body mass	Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA) measured in grams	18 months post burn-injury
Lean body mass	Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA) measured in grams	24 months post burn-injury

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in Muscle strength (peak torque)	resistance testing muscle strength (assessed by Biodex isokinetic dynamometer)	Discharge (usually 30 days post burn) and 6, 12, 18, and 24 months after burn injury
Change in Muscle strength ( total work)	resistance testing muscle strength (Biodex isokinetic dynamometer)	Discharge (usually 30 days post burn) and 6, 12, 18, and 24 months after burn injury
Change in Muscle strength (average power)	resistance testing muscle strength (assessed by Biodex isokinetic dynamometer)	Discharge (usually 30 days post burn) and 6, 12, 18, and 24 months after burn injury
Change in Muscle grip strength (maximum power)	testing muscle strength (assessed by hand dynamometer)	Discharge (usually 30 days post burn) and 6, 12, 18, and 24 months after burn injury
Change in Muscle endurance (maximum power)	testing muscle endurance (assessed by Bruce treadmill test)	Discharge (usually 30 days post burn) and 6, 12, 18, and 24 months after burn injury
Change in Resting energy expenditure (REE)	Indirect calorimetry	Discharge (usually 30 days post burn) and 6, 12, 18, and 24 months after burn injury
Change in resting heart rate	electrocardiogram (EKG) readings	Discharge (usually 30 days post burn) and 6, 12, 18, and 24 months after burn injury
Change in liver size	Ultrasound readings	Discharge (usually 30 days post burn) and 6, 12, 18, and 24 months after burn injury
Change in cardiac stroke volume	echocardiogram readings	Discharge (usually 30 days post burn) and 6, 12, 18, and 24 months after burn injury
Change in cardiac output	Echocardiogram readings	Discharge (usually 30 days post burn) and 6, 12, 18, and 24 months after burn injury
Change in respiratory quotient	Indirect calorimetry	Discharge (usually 30 days post burn) and 6, 12, 18, and 24 months after burn injury
Change in Total body fat	Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA)	Discharge (usually 30 days post burn) and 6, 12, 18, and 24 months after burn injury
Change in percentage of total body fat	Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA)	Discharge (usually 30 days post burn) and 6, 12, 18, and 24 months after burn injury
Change in bone mineral content	Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA)	Discharge (usually 30 days post burn) and 6, 12, 18, and 24 months after burn injury
Change in bone mineral density	Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA)	Discharge (usually 30 days post burn) and 6, 12, 18, and 24 months after burn injury
Change in Maximal oxygen consumption	Six-minute walk test	Discharge (usually 30 days post burn) and 6, 12, 18, and 24 months after burn injury
Change in respiratory fatigue	Six-minute walk test	Discharge (usually 30 days post burn) and 6, 12, 18, and 24 months after burn injury
Change in leg fatigue	Six-minute walk test	Discharge (usually 30 days post burn) and 6, 12, 18, and 24 months after burn injury
Change in Muscle protein synthesis rate	Deuterium water	Discharge (usually 30 days post burn) and 6, 12, 18, and 24 months after burn injury
Hypertrophic scar development	Vancouver Scar Scale	Discharge (usually 30 days post burn) and 6, 12, 18, and 24 months after burn injury
Change in Forced vital capacity (FVC)	Pulmonary function test	Discharge (usually 30 days post burn) and 6, 12, 18, and 24 months after burn injury
Change in forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1)	Pulmonary function test	Discharge (usually 30 days post burn) and 6, 12, 18, and 24 months after burn injury
Change in forced expiratory flow rate between 27-75% of the FVC (FEF25-75)	Pulmonary function test	Discharge (usually 30 days post burn) and 6, 12, 18, and 24 months after burn injury
Change in FEV1/FVC ratio expressed as a percentage (FEV1/FVC%)	Pulmonary function test	Discharge (usually 30 days post burn) and 6, 12, 18, and 24 months after burn injury
Change in vital capacity (VC)	Pulmonary function test	Discharge (usually 30 days post burn) and 6, 12, 18, and 24 months after burn injury
Change in total lung capacity (TLC)	Pulmonary function test	Discharge (usually 30 days post burn) and 6, 12, 18, and 24 months after burn injury
Change in residual volume (RV)	Pulmonary function test	Discharge (usually 30 days post burn) and 6, 12, 18, and 24 months after burn injury
Change in functional residual capacity (FRC)	Pulmonary function test	Discharge (usually 30 days post burn) and 6, 12, 18, and 24 months after burn injury
Change in lung diffusion capacity (DLCO)	Pulmonary function test	Discharge (usually 30 days post burn) and 6, 12, 18, and 24 months after burn injury
Change in maximum voluntary ventilation (MVV)	Pulmonary function test	Discharge (usually 30 days post burn) and 6, 12, 18, and 24 months after burn injury
Change in peak expiratory flow (PEF)	Pulmonary function test	Discharge (usually 30 days post burn) and 6, 12, 18, and 24 months after burn injury
Change in Molecular biomarkers of oxidative and nitrosative stress (isoprostanes, asymmetric dimethylarginine)	Urine analysis	Discharge (usually 30 days post burn) and 6, 12, 18, and 24 months after burn injury
Changes in quality of life	Questionnaires	Discharge (usually 30 days post burn) and 6, 12, 18, and 24 months after burn injury

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston
• Collaborators: Pfizer; United States Department of Defense
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Ludwik K Branski, MD, MMS, University of Texas

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Stylianos S, Eichelberger MR. Pediatric trauma. Prevention strategies. Pediatr Clin North Am. 1993 Dec;40(6):1359-68. doi: 10.1016/s0031-3955(16)38666-7.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (ACTUAL): November 1, 2015
• Primary Completion (ACTUAL): November 2, 2021
• Study Completion (ACTUAL): November 30, 2021

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: May 11, 2016
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 28, 2017
• First Posted (ESTIMATE): January 31, 2017

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (ACTUAL): February 13, 2023
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 10, 2023
• Last Verified: February 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Growth Hormone; Burns; Strength; Lean Body Mass; Exercise Endurance
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Physiological Effects of Drugs; Hormones, Hormone Substitutes, and Hormone Antagonists; Hormones
• Other Study ID Numbers: 19-0298 / 15-0192; W81XWH-15-1-0143 (OTHER_GRANT: US Department of Defense)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO