A large animal model of burn hypermetabolism

Further research on postburn hypermetabolism is limited by the constraints of patient studies and the reduced responses of small animal models. To test the validity of a large animal model, oxygen uptake ( V ̇_o2), urinary excretion of epinephrine (E), norepinephrine (NE), and dopamine (DA), and rectal temperature were monitored in conscious 20- to 40-kg goats for 3 weeks following a 25% total body surface burn. While V ̇_o2) and catecholamine output remained at control levels in sham burned animals, V ̇_o2 rose from 5.57 ± 0.23 to 6.66 ± 0.31 ml/min · kg (mean ± SEM) in one group of seven injured animals 8 to 10 days postinjury and from 4.58 ± 0.17 to 6.30 ± 0.07 in another group (n = 6) studied 19 to 21 days postinjury. Excretion of E and NE in four injured goats was three to four times that in four sham-burned animals 7, 14, and 21 days postburn. Dopamine output was comparable in the two groups. There was no measurable change in rectal temperature after injury. Injured animals maintained body weight and did not become bacteremic. The hypermetabolic and neuroendocrine responses of the injured goat make this large animal an appropriate model for further research.