Treatment of cachexia with recombinant growth hormone in a patient before lung transplantation: A case report

Objectives: To describe the effects of recombinant human growth hormone (rh GH) in a severely malnourished patient before lung transplantation. Design: Case study. Setting: Intensive care unit. Patients: A 38-yr-old severely malnourished (body mass index, 15.1 kg/m(2)) woman (receiving prednisone) with bronchiolitis obliterans evolving during 10 yrs presented with end-stage lung disease and required continuous nonin vasive mechanical ventilation. Interventions: Two courses of 35 days of 16 IU/day (0.42 IU/kg/day) rhGH ad ministered subcutaneously, with an interruption of 5 wks between the two co urses of rhGH. Measurements and Main Results: Weight gain of 14.7% and 12.8% fat-free mass , as measured by 50-kHz bioelectrical impedance analysis, during treatment during a 3.5-month period. Nitrogen excretion decreased from 23.7 g/day bef ore treatment to 8.0 g/day while receiving rhGH. Improvement of pulmonary f unction was also noted and allowed discharge of the patient from the hospit al after the second course of rhGH. She underwent successful lung transplan tation 2 months later and reached 48.8 kg of body weight 6 months later. Conclusions: rhGH treatment is a possible strategy that could be used with malnourished patients who are awaiting lung transplantation to improve the nutritional status and respiratory muscle function to prevent recurring res piratory infection and postoperative complications favored by malnutrition and possibly to decrease the length of hospital stay.