A randomized trial of glutamine and antioxidants in critically ill patients.

Study answer

What this study found

Early supplementation did not improve outcomes overall, and glutamine was associated with worse survival. For 28-day mortality, glutamine increased death versus no glutamine (32.4% vs 27.2%; adjusted odds ratio 1.28, 95% CI 1.00 to 1.64; P = 0.05), while antioxidants had no significant effect (30.8% vs 28.8%; adjusted odds ratio 1.09, 95% CI 0.86 to 1.40; P = 0.48). In-hospital mortality and 6-month mortality were also significantly higher among patients who received glutamine. Serious adverse events occurred in 52 cases among 46 patients, with 4 considered potentially related to study…

Study & population

Randomized, multicenter, factorial trial in critically ill adults with multiorgan failure requiring mechanical ventilation.

Intervention

This 2x2 factorial trial tested early nutritional supplementation with glutamine, antioxidants, or both, compared with matched placebo.

Key limitation

Complex factorial design with multiple active regimens makes isolated attribution less straightforward, and the excerpt provides limited arm-specific detail for secondary outcomes.

View full study detailsView sourceOpen PDF

Original abstract