IMPACT OF ENTERAL FEEDING OF A GLUTAMINE-SUPPLEMENTED FORMULA ON THE HYPOAMINOACIDEMIC RESPONSE IN TRAUMA PATIENTS

Plasma amino acid Concentrations were measured during fasting and afte r 3 days of enteral feeding in 16 trauma patients on a glutamine-suppl emented diet and 14 patients on an isonitrogenous control diet. During fasting, total amino acids, including glutamine, were depressed by 50 % and this was attributed to a reduction in both essential and nonesse ntial amino acids. The essential amino acid concentrations increased i n both groups after feeding. The nonessential amino acid concentration s also increased in the control group but not in the glutamine group d uring feeding. Repletion of the glutamine extracellular pool was not e vident after an average intake of 27.1 g per day of glutamine for 3 da ys. Nitrogen balance was similar for the two groups during feeding. We conclude that in this study, enteral glutamine did not increase the g lutamine plasma concentration. In addition, both formulas improved the hypoaminoacidemia of essential amino acids but only the control diet improved the nonessential amino acids plasma concentration.