Perioperative use of arginine-supplemented diets: a systematic review of the evidence.

Methods Meta-analysis included randomized clinical trials of elective surgical patients comparing enteral nutrition supplemented with arginine (with or without other immune-modulating agents) verses standard enteral nutrition, and reported clinical outcomes. The primary outcome of interest was number of patients with new infectious complications, and secondary outcomes included hospital length of stay (LOS) and mortality. Elective surgical patients were defined as those undergoing a scheduled surgical procedure whether or not they were cared for in a critical care environment. Studies of critically ill patients undergoing emergent operations were excluded.