Critical Medicine

Critical
Medicine

    

• Lena
  Gamrin, Pia Essen, Eric Hultman, et al (The Department
  of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care and Clinical
  Chemistry II, Huddinge University Hospital, Karolinska
  Institute, Stockholm, Sweden; and the Department of
  Surgery at State University of New York,Stony Brook,
  New York)
  
  Protein-Sparing
  Effect in Skeletal Muscle of Growth Hormone Treatment
  in Critically III Patients.
  
  Annals of Surgery, April 2000, 231(4), 577-586.
  
        
  
  This study investigates the effect of growth
  hormone (GH) treatment on skeletal muscle protein
  catabolism in patients with multiple organ failure in
  the ICU.
  
       
  
  20
  critically ill ICU patients were randomized into 2
  groups – one as control and the other with GH
  (0.3U/kg/day). Percutaneous muscle biopsy was taken
  before and 5 days after treatment starting on day 3 to
  42 of the patient’s ICU stay.
  Protein content, protein synthesis, water
  nucleic acids and free amino acids were analysed.
  
       
  
  The
  fractional protein synthesis rate and muscle free
  glutaminic increased in 
  the GH group. Total
  intramuscular water did not increase but the
  intracellular water increased.
  
       
  
  It
  is concluded that treatment with GH in patients with
  multiple organ failure, stimulated muscle protein
  synthesis, increased muscle free glutaminic and
  increased into a cellular water.