A Double-Blinded Prospective Evaluation of Recombinant Human Erythropoietin in Acutely Burned Patients

Abstract

In our work the administration of r-HuEPO in acutely burned patients did not prevent the development of postburn anemia or decrease transfusion requirements. Increased erythropoiesis in smaller burns (25% to 35%) was observed and may indicate a reason for further study.

Erythropoietin-receptor agonists in critically ill patients: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

“…1,[8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15] In an effort to overcome the relative erythropoietin deficiency observed in critically ill patients, recombinant erythropoietin has been used to stimulate erythropoiesis, mitigate anemia and reduce the need for blood transfusions. Early proof-ofconcept studies were generally small and focused on hematologic response as an outcome measure.…”

“…All of the studies were published in peer-reviewed, English-language journals and were sponsored by the same parent company. 1,[8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15] Five of the studies were conducted in North America, 1,8,9,12,13 and 4 were conducted in Europe. 10,11,14,15 Of the 9 studies, 4 enrolled more than 100 patients.…”

“…All of the trials compared erythropoietin alpha with either a placebo 1,[8][9][10]12,13,15 or no therapy. 11,14 No eligible studies of darbepoietin were identified.…”

“…In the remaining study, iron was administered to 42% of patients who received erythropoietin and 24% of patients in the control group. 13 Iron was administered either enterally or intravenously depending on the patient's gut function and the study protocol.…”

Prospective Randomized Double-Blind Placebo Controlled Trial of Recombinant Human Erythropoietin Administration to Reduce Blood Transfusions in Anemic Pediatric Intensive Care Patients

“…Two other studies that failed to demonstrate a reduction in the number of RBC units transfused also administered rHuEPO intravenously. 10,13 The analyses conducted in this study were under-powered due to the small sample sizes. As previously stated the target number of patients for this study was 100; however, due to difficulty in enrolling patients, the study was stopped prematurely.…”