Abstract

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of glutamine supplementation on infection and clinical outcomes among burn patients. Methods: This randomized controlled study was carried out for the duration of 2 years. Total 200 burn patients were enrolled in two groups of 100 each, group I patients received glutamine whereas group II was a control group. Patients of 18-50 yrs. of age, of both sexes, total burn surface area of 20% -60%, expected length of stay in ICU > 48 h, admission within 72 h of burn injury and with any sort of thermal injury like flame burns, scald burn and contact burns. Results: A total of 200 patients were recruited for the research and divided into two groups, with 100 patients in each group, as shown in the study flow chart. The demographic data and burn severity of the patients were similar throughout the groups, with no significant changes seen. Regarding wound culture, there was a noteworthy decrease in the number of positive wound cultures in the group receiving glutamine on day 5 (p< 0.001). In group I, there were 15 patients with positive wound cultures, consisting of 5 Gram-negative organisms and 10 Gram-positive organisms. In group II, there were 40 patients with positive wound cultures, consisting of 28 Gram-negative bacteria and 12 Gram-positive bacteria. There was a noteworthy decrease in Gram-negative bacteremia in group I compared to group II, with a statistically significant difference (p< 0.001). However, there was no statistically significant distinction between the two groups for Gram-positive bacteremia. Group I exhibited a substantial reduction in white blood cell (WBC) count compared to group II on both day 5 and day 10 (p = 0.005 and 0.007). Based on blood cultures, group II had a significantly higher level of bacteremia compared to group I on day 5(p< 0.005). Conclusion: Our research findings endorse the use of glutamine in patients with severe burns due to its ability to decrease the occurrence of wound infection and sepsis. It is instrumental in decreasing the length of hospitalisation and improves the SOFA scores in patients with burns

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