The IMMUNOCITRE Trial
Enteral citrulline supplementation does not improve SOFA score on day 7 in mechanically ventilated critically ill patients!
The authors conducted a multicenter, randomized, double-blind trial in four French ICUs from September 2016 to February 2019. They evaluated the effect of enteral L-citrulline on organ dysfunction and selected immune parameters in mechanically ventilated ICU patients who did not have sepsis or septic shock. The main outcome was the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score on day 7. The results showed no significant difference in the SOFA score on day 7 between the L-citrulline and placebo groups (4 [IQR, 2-6] vs. 4 [IQR, 2-7]; p = 0.9). However, the L-citrulline group had significantly higher plasma arginine levels on day 3, without any observed effect on immune parameters.
