A prospective double blind randomized study comparing the need for blood transfusion with terlipressin or a placebo during early excision and grafting of burns

INTRODUCTION: Early excision and skin grafting has become the standard of good burn management, but it is associated with major blood loss. AIM: To determine the haemostatic effect of terlipressin compared with placebo. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Fifty-one patients with burns of 10-20% total body surface area had early excision and split skin grafting of deep burns. The surface area of the burn wound and of the healed graft were measured by planimetry. The patients were randomly allocated to medication, either terlipressin or placebo. Blood loss and number of transfused units of blood were recorded. RESULTS: Twenty-one patients received terlipressin, 13 received terlipressin late (cross-over) and 17 received placebo. Six out of 21 patients exposed to terlipressin were transfused with eleven units of packed red blood cells. Seven out of 13 patients crossed over from placebo to terlipressin (late terlipressin) were transfused with 17 units of blood. Eight out of 17 patients exposed to the placebo were transfused with 22 units of blood (P < 0.05). Graft healing was 1055 +/- 609 cm2 out of 1452 +/- 11 cm2 in terlipressin and 914 +/- 633 cm2 out of 1288 +/- 720 cm2 in the placebo group (n.s.). CONCLUSION: Terlipressin reduced the need for blood transfusion by a factor of 2.5 compared to a placebo without impairment of graft healing.