OHIO — Some doctors are treating burn victims with an unusual form of medicine.
This week is National Fire Prevention Week, but doctors at Ohio State’s Wexner Medical Center are focusing on the aftermath of fires and helping victims heal with protein.
We all know protein is a necessary part of any diet, but Dr. Larry Jones with Wexner said it may be the key to helping burn victims heal from their wounds.
“It comes from either two places,” Jones said. “Either we give protein as part of the diet, or the body will steal protein from itself.”
In a study, the doctors found that by giving victims a solution containing 140% of their normal calories and about four times the protein through a feeding tube, burns began to heal quicker.
It is the equivalent of more than 12 hamburgers a day.
“By starting the nutrition early, we can reduce the weight loss, reduce the loss of muscle mass, improve their immune function, and improve their ability to heal their wounds,” Dr. David Evans at Wexner Medical Center explained.
Severe burns can take between 12 and 18 months to heal completely.
Doctors said the protein increase helps, because the metabolism goes into overdrive when someone is burned and steals nutrients from the body.
People said, although the study sounds odd, if it is working, it could be something we could use here at Regional Medical Center’s burn center in Memphis.
“If it works, it works! Anything that could help them, I’m all for it,” Memphis resident Jerome Ratliff said.
“We’re very aggressive, even with the smaller burns to ensure the patients get nutrition support,” Jones added.
Doctors at Regional Medical Center and Baptist were not available for interviews Friday, but said they are intrigued by the study’s findings.