RESUMO
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the effect of early escharectomy on resting energy expenditure (REE) in severely burned patients dynamically with the metabolic monitoring and diagnostic system.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Fifty-six adult male patients with severe burns were divided into early escharectomy (group A, n = 39, escharectomy within 5 PBDs) and non-early escharectomy (group B, n = 17, escharectomy after 5 PBDs) groups. The wounds of full thickness and deep partial thickness burn in the two groups were all excised and covered with allogeneic skin and autologous micro-skin in the first operation. The changes in REE were observed dynamically at the bedside of the patients with the metabolic monitoring and diagnostic system. The plasma contents of IL-6, IL-8, TNF-alpha and LPS from 9 patients in group A and 7 in group B were also determined dynamically.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>All patients survived. The REE in both groups was elevated markedly, but REE in group A was lower compared with group B before and after escharectomy within 14 days. (P < 0.05). The plasma level of IL-6, IL-8, TNF-alpha and LPS in group A were obviously lower than those in group B (P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The hypermetabolic response of burn patients with severe burns could be lowered by early escharectomy, and it seemed to be related to the decrease of the release of proinflammatory mediators.</p>