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Plasma Carnitine Levels and Urinary Carnitine Excretion during Sepsis
- Source :
- Journal of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition. 9:483-490
- Publication Year :
- 1985
- Publisher :
- Wiley, 1985.
-
Abstract
- Carnitine is an indispensable factor for the beta-oxidation of medium- and long-chain fatty acids, and it plays a possible role in the oxidation of branched-chain amino acids. Plasma and urinary levels of free carnitine and short-chain acyl-carnitines were studied in 67 surgical patients, after non-septic surgical procedures or during sepsis. The septic state was associated with increased urinary excretion of free carnitine (p less than 0.001), as well as with lower plasma levels of short-chain acyl-carnitines (p less than 0.001); the latter feature correlated with the level of hypermetabolism, as evaluated by the metabolic rate and by the arterial-mixed venous O2 difference. In 26 patients during total parenteral nutrition D, L-acetyl-carnitine was administered (100 mg/kg/24 hrs, in continuous iv infusion) and was associated, in septic patients only, with a significant decrease in the respiratory quotient, suggesting enhanced oxidation of low respiratory quotient substrates (fatty acids and/or branched-chain amino acids). Carnitine supplementation during total parenteral nutrition might be of theoretical benefit in some clinical conditions, such as sepsis, in which the following conditions coexist enhanced utilization of substrates whose oxidation is partially or totally carnitine dependent; prolonged absence of exogenous intake of carnitine (as in long-term total parenteral nutrition); eventual impairment of carnitine synthesis due to hepatic dysfunction; increased, massive urinary loss of carnitine.
- Subjects :
- Adult
Parenteral Nutrition
medicine.medical_specialty
030309 nutrition & dietetics
Urinary system
Medicine (miscellaneous)
Fatty Acids, Nonesterified
Excretion
Sepsis
03 medical and health sciences
Oxygen Consumption
Postoperative Complications
0302 clinical medicine
Carnitine
Internal medicine
medicine
Humans
Aged
chemistry.chemical_classification
0303 health sciences
Nutrition and Dietetics
Chemistry
Respiration
Bacterial Infections
Middle Aged
medicine.disease
Amino acid
Respiratory quotient
Endocrinology
Parenteral nutrition
Hypermetabolism
030211 gastroenterology & hepatology
Acetylcarnitine
Energy Metabolism
medicine.drug
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 19412444 and 01486071
- Volume :
- 9
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Journal of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....e603981d44ac361370ba3ac77290ff86