Trial of Glutamine and Antioxidant Supplementation in Critically Ill Patients

Background:

Critically ill patients experience a degree of hyperinflammation, cellular immune
dysfunction, and oxidative stress. Supplementation with key nutrients, like glutamine and
antioxidants, is most likely to have a favourable effect on these physiological parameters
leading to an improvement in clinical outcomes. The results of two separate meta-analyses
suggested that glutamine and antioxidants may be associated with improved survival. We have
recently completed a dosing study to determine the maximal tolerable dose (MTD) of glutamine
dipeptides and antioxidants in critically ill patients with evidence of hypoperfusion. The
purpose of this protocol is to evaluate the effect of high dose glutamine and antioxidant
supplementation on mortality in a large scale randomized trial.

Study Intervention:

Patients will be randomized to receive glutamine supplementation or antioxidant
supplementation (or respective placebo).