Effect of Oral Glutamine on Patient Outcomes following Open Heart Surgery: A Double Blind Clinical Trial

Background and purpose: Cardiovascular diseases are the most common cause of death worldwide. Surgical treatment is one of the main treatment options for cardiac diseases. However, the complications of open heart surgery increase the morbidity and mortality rates and also increase the length of stay in Intensive Care Unit (ICU). The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of oral glutamine on patient’s outcome. Materials and methods: A clinical trial was performed in 106 patients, candidate for elective open heart surgery who were selected on the basis of study inclusion and exclusion criteria. Patients were randomly assigned to receive either oral glutamine 0.5 g/kg/day (n= 53) or placebo (n= 53) for two days preoperatively until two days postoperatively. SOFA score, EuroSCORE II, length of ICU and hospital stay, and 30 day mortality were measured at several postoperative time points. Results: Length of hospital stay was found to be significantly different between the two groups and it was significantly lower in the group that had received glutamine (P=0.001). There were no significant differences in SOFA score, EuroSCORE II, length of ICU and 30 day mortality rate between the two groups (P> 0.05). Conclusion: According to this study, oral glutamine has many benefits and could reduce hospital stay after cardiac surgery.   (Clinical Trials Registry Number: IRCT20151109024975N10)