Clinical nutrition : official journal of the European Society of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition
-
Progressive muscle wasting is a characteristic feature of patients treated at the intensive care unit (ICU). As a consequence, endogenous glutamine production by skeletal muscle may be compromised. We investigated the time pattern of the glutamine and glutamate net balance across the leg in long-stay ICU patients. ⋯ The net release of glutamine from skeletal muscle does not decrease in stabilized critically ill patients with multiple organ failure over the initial 2 weeks of ICU stay, despite progressive muscle wasting.