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Glutamine Supplementation in ICU Patients

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Intensive Care Medicine

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Abstract

Glutamine is a non-essential amino acid with a special role in metabolism and nutrition. The depletion of glutamine is reported to be a predictor of a poor outcome in particular for intensive care unit (ICU) patients [1]. Consequently, supplementation of intravenous nutrition with glutamine improves outcome in terms of mortality and morbidity in ICU patients [2–4]. A number of questions have been raised concerning the handling of glutamine-supplemented nutrition in ICU patients, including the vascular and metabolic tolerance of the dipeptide infusions, the handling of glutamine during renal replacement therapy in ICU patients, and the safety of glutamine administration in head trauma patients. These issues will be dealt with in this short chapter.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care Karolinska Institute, Huddinge University, 14186, Stockholm, Sweden

    A. Berg, O. Rooyackers & J. Wernerman

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  1. A. Berg
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  2. O. Rooyackers
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Intensive Care Erasme Hospital, Universitée libre de Bruxelles, Route de Lennik 808, B-1070, Brussels, Belgium

    Jean-Louis Vincent (Head) (Head)

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Berg, A., Rooyackers, O., Wernerman, J. (2009). Glutamine Supplementation in ICU Patients. In: Vincent, JL. (eds) Intensive Care Medicine. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-92278-2_65

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-92278-2_65

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-0-387-92277-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-0-387-92278-2

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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