Severely burned patients exhibit a postburn hypermetabolic response which, with the most severe burns, can double the patient's metabolic rate. We report on a 54-year-old man who was on long-term ibuprofen administration for treatment of arthritis before sustaining a 38% total body surface area burn. This patient failed to demonstrate the normal hypermetabolic response. The possibility that the ibuprofen administration prevented the hypermetabolic response is discussed.