Critical care : the official journal of the Critical Care Forum
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Editorial Comment
Citrulline: just a biomarker or a conditionally essential amino acid and a pharmaconutrient in critically ill patients?
Low plasma citrulline levels have been associated with a reduction of functional gut mass in various clinical situations. In critically ill patients, citrulline variations are tricky to interpret because of sepsis, vascular abnormalities, and multiple organ failure. ⋯ This association may be due to a decrease in citrulline availability or citrulline overconsumption for nitric oxide synthesis but also may result from an arginine deficiency syndrome. In any case, the results of this study reinforce the rationale for a study of citrulline supplementation in critically ill patients.
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Obesity is an increasing burden globally. In the general population, the obese have an increased mortality risk. Regarding the critically ill, a growing body of literature supports the obesity paradox, the notion that obesity confers a protective effect in certain disease states. However, the paucity of methodologically sound trials prevents definitive interpretation and may obscure risks.
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Editorial Comment
Patient-ventilator trigger dys-synchrony: a common phenomenon with important implications.
Patient-ventilator trigger dys-synchronies are common with the use of assisted forms of mechanical ventilatory support, including non-invasive mechanical ventilatory support (NIV). Future system designs need to address this in order to improve the effectiveness of NIV.