Oral Glutamine in Cardiopulmonary Bypass

Introduction: Glutamine (GLN) is the most abundant free amino acid in the body. It modulates immune cell function and is an important energy substrate for most cells (especially for enterocytes and lymphocytes) in critical patients. GLN levels significantly decreased during sepsis/critical illness leading to an increase in infectious complications, organ failure and mortality. Moreover, in cases of ischemia/reperfusion injury in the myocardium, GLN increases the levels of Adenosine triphosphate (ATP)/Adenosine diphosphate (ADP) ratio and prevents intracellular lactate accumulation. Recently, the perioperative effect of intravenous and oral GLN treatment been associated in lowering levels of cardiac injury markers such as Troponin-I (TROP-I) and the number of postoperative complications in patients who underwent Cardiopulmonary Bypass (CPB). The aim of the study was to analyze the oral dose of preoperative oral GLN treatment in patients who underwent CPB with extracorporeal circulation in Mexican patients.