Sleep is an essential component of optimal physiological and psychological functioning in humans. However, numerous studies have identified sleep deficits in patients within the critical care setting. Sleep deprivation has been shown to cause adverse effects including cardiovascular, respiratory, and endocrine variations, and altered psychological functioning such as cognitive dysfunction, decreased concentration, mood variability, and delirium. The critical care environment often contains stimuli that may be a causative factor in sleep alterations such as sleep deprivation, fragmentation or alterations in sleeping patterns. These environmental stimuli include noise, light, pain, discomfort, nursing care activities, medications, psychological stressors and underlying disease and have the capability to severely impact the quantity and quality of sleep in critically ill patients. The integrated research review identifies correlations between environmental stressors and sleep alterations in critically ill patients. Outcomes of interventions including earplugs and eye masks, behavior modification, complementary and alternative medicine and pharmacological considerations are examined. Additionally, implications for nursing education, research and practice are addressed. A current integrated research review incorporating nursing implications and alternative interventions could be significant to the provision of nursing care for the critically ill patient.

BACKGROUND: Pain assessment is a significant challenge in critically ill adults, especially those unable to communicate their pain level. At present there is no universally accepted pain scale for use in the non-communicative (cognitively impaired, sedated, paralyzed or mechanically ventilated) patient. Facial expressions are considered among the most reflexive and automatic nonverbal indices of pain. The facial expression component of pain assessment tools include a variety of facial descriptors (wincing, frowning, grimacing, smile/relaxed) with inconsistent pain intensity ratings or checklists of behaviors. The lack of consistent facial expression description and quantification of pain intensity makes standardization of pain evaluation difficult. Although use of facial expression is an important behavioral measure of pain intensity, precise and accurate methods for interpreting the specific facial actions of pain in critically ill adults has not been identified. OBJECTIVE: The three specific aims of this prospective study were: 1) to describe facial actions during pain in non-communicative critically ill patients; 2) to determine facial actions that characterize the pain response; 3) to describe the effect of patient factors on facial actions during the pain response. DESIGN: Descriptive, correlational, comparative. SETTING: Two adult critical care units (Surgical Trauma ICU-STICU and Medical Respiratory ICU-MRICU) at an urban university medical center. SUBJECTS: A convenience sample of 50 non-communicative critically ill intubated, mechanically ventilated adult patients. Fifty-two percent were male, 48% Euro-American, with mean age 52.5 years (±17. 2). METHODS: Subjects were video-recorded while in an intensive care unit at rest (baseline phase) and during endotracheal suctioning (procedure phase). Observer-based pain ratings were gathered using the Behavioral Pain Scale. Facial actions were coded from video using the Facial Action Coding System (FACS) over a 30 second time period for each phase. Pain scores were calculated from FACS action units (AU) following Prkachin and Solomon metric. RESULTS: Fourteen facial action units were associated with pain response and found to occur more frequently during the noxious procedure than during baseline. These included areas of brow raiser, brow lower, orbit tightening, eye closure, head movements, mouth opening, nose wrinkling, and nasal dilatation, and chin raise. The sum of intensity of the 14 AUs was correlated with BPS (r=0.70, P<0.0001) and with the facial expression component of BPS (r=0.58, P<0.0001) during procedure. A stepwise multivariate analysis predicted 5 pain-relevant facial AUs [brow raiser (AU 1), brow lower (AU 4), nose wrinkling (AU 9), head turned right (AU 52), and head turned up (AU53)] that accounted for 71% of the variance (Adjusted R2=0.682) in pain response (F= 21.99, df=49, P<0.0001). The FACS pain intensity score based on 5 pain-relevant facial AUs was associated with BPS (r=0.77, P<0.0001) and with the facial expression component of BPS (r=0.63, P<0.0001) during procedure. Patient factors (e. g., age, gender, race, and diagnosis, duration of endotracheal intubation, ICU length of stay, and analgesic and sedative drug usages, and severity of illness) were not associated with the FACS pain intensity score. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the FACS pain intensity score composed of inner brow raiser, brow lower, nose wrinkle, and head movements reflected a general pain action in our study. Upper facial expression provides an important behavioral measure of pain which may be used in the clinical evaluation of pain in the non-communicative critically ill patients. These results provide preliminary results that the Facial Action Coding System can discriminate a patient’s acute pain experience.

This thesis deals with the control of blood glucose levels of critically ill patients in intensive care, focusing on hyperglycemia of the critically ill and possible therapy within the competences of nursing and medical staff. The theoretical part of the thesis deals with the issue of hyperglycemia of critically ill patients from the medical and nursing perspective as well as the issues concerning instrumentation. The first chapter describes briefly the history of insulin, relating to its discovery and introduction into practice. The following chapter describes the concepts of critically ill, intensive medicine, intensive care as well as specific nursing care. Short information about etiology, diagnosis, treatment and complications of diabetes mellitus is described in the third chapter. The following are the chapters, which are more specifically devoted to the issue of hyperglycemia of the critically ill, including chapters on glucose homeostasis of the critically ill, the evolution of blood glucose levels, instrument technique, insulin protocols, insulin therapy, details of insulin therapy in intensive care and on the principles of correct blood collection for the determination of blood glucose levels in the conditions of intensive care. The empirical part of this work contains research on the...

A presente tese explora aspectos importantes do suporte nutricional, no paciente crítico: método e vias de administração da nutrição enteral, determinação do gasto energético, monitorização da adequação do suporte nutricional e seu efeito sobre os desfechos em curto e longo prazo. Em face da evidência de benefícios significativos, a nutrição enteral é recomendada como a primeira opção para a maioria dos pacientes, quando comparada à nutrição parenteral. É comum a intolerância gástrica associada ao uso de opióides, choque e vasopressores, o que reduz a entrega de energia e talvez aumente a incidência de pneumonia hospitalar. A subalimentação parece estar associada com consequências indesejáveis, que incluem o risco aumentado de infecção, o desmame da ventilação prolongada, o tempo de internação na UTI e as taxas elevadas de mortalidade, na UTI e no hospital. A determinação do gasto energético é alvo de debates, pois vários são os fatores que influenciam diretamente o gasto energético do paciente crítico. O método calorimetria indireta é apontado como o mais preciso para adequar o suporte nutricional, quando comparado com as equações preditivas. Vale destacar, porém, que ainda é necessária maior evidência clínica sobre a real influência da calorimetria indireta nos desfechos clínicos (Tempo em VM, tempo de UTI e mortalidade em UTI, mortalidade hospitalar). Os estudos avaliam os desfechos clínicos mais relevantes, em curto prazo, e há uma escassez de estudos que avaliam a qualidade de vida dos sobreviventes, em médio ou longo prazo. Para a realização da tese, foram desenvolvidos três estudos, um ensaio clínico randomizado, em que foi definida a incidência de pneumonia e avaliada a taxa de mortalidade na UTI, comparando a nutrição por sonda gástrica com a por sonda jejunal. Não encontramos diferença na taxa de pneumonia, quando é utilizada a sonda em posição gástrica ou jejunal. Não observamos diferenças na sobrevida na UTI e hospitalar. Em nossa revisão sistemática, analisamos quatro artigos da literatura sobre paciente crítico adulto e adequação do suporte nutricional guiado pela calorimetria indireta, de 1950 a maio de 2014. Não encontramos estudos suficientes para evidenciar o impacto da utilização da calorimetria indireta, como método de adequação do suporte nutricional sobre os desfechos clínicos. Realizamos estudo observacional, onde procuramos definir as relativas contribuições da adequação nutricional maior ou igual a 70%, em relação ao previsto nas primeiras 72 horas de internação na UTI, para os desfechos clínicos em curto e longo prazo (capacidade de realizar atividades da vida diária). Os pacientes que receberam um aporte calórico igual ou superior a 70%, nas primeiras 72 horas de internação, não apresentaram melhores desfechos em curto prazo (tempo em VM, tempo de UTI e mortalidade em UTI), bem como melhora da capacidade funcional em um ano. Esta tese se justifica por buscar melhor entendimento dos principais aspectos do suporte nutricional enteral, no paciente crítico, mecanicamente ventilado e submetido à terapia intensiva. Como aspectos da terapia nutricional, destacamos a importância de investigar evidências clínicas do impacto do suporte nutricional enteral sobre desfechos clínicos. / This thesis explores important aspects of nutritional support in critically ill patients: method and routes for enteral nutrition administration; determining energy expenditure; monitoring the optimal nutritional support and its effect on short- and long-term outcomes. Given the evidence of significant benefits, enteral nutrition is recommended as the first choice for most patients compared to parenteral nutrition. Gastric intolerance associated with opioid use, shock, and vasopressors is common, which reduces energy delivery and may increase the incidence of hospital-acquired pneumonia. Malnutrition appears to be associated with undesirable consequences, including increased risk of infection; weaning from prolonged ventilation; length of stay in ICU; and high mortality rates in ICU and hospital. Determining energy expenditure is subject to debate because several factors directly influence it for critically ill patients. The method of indirect calorimetry is pointed out as the most accurate for establishing adequate nutritional support compared with predictive equations. It is worth noting, however, that more clinical evidence is needed on the real influence of indirect calorimetry on clinical outcomes (length of ventilation; length of stay in ICU and mortality in ICU; hospital mortality). The studies evaluate the most relevant clinical outcomes in the short term, and there is shortage of works assessing survivors’ quality of life in the medium or long term. Three studies were developed for the thesis: a randomized clinical trial where the incidence of pneumonia was established and the mortality rate in ICU was evaluated, comparing nutrition by gastric gavage with a jejunal probe. No difference was found in the rate of pneumonia when using the gavage in gastric or jejunal position. No differences in survival in ICU and hospital were found. In our systematic review, we analyze four articles on critically ill adult patients and optimization of nutritional support guided by indirect calorimetry, from 1950 to May 2014. We did not find enough studies to show the impact of using indirect calorimetry for optimizing nutritional support on clinical outcomes. We conducted an observational study to define the relative contributions of nutritional optimization higher or equal to 70% relative to predictions in the first 72 hours of ICU admission for clinical outcomes in the short and long term (ability to perform daily activities). Patients who received caloric intake equal to or higher than 70% in the first 72 hours of admission did not show better outcomes in the short term (time under MV, ICU stay, and ICU mortality) as well as improved functional capacity within one year. This thesis is justified for seeking to improve understanding of the key aspects of enteral nutritional support in critically ill, mechanically ventilated patients who have underwent intensive therapy. Important aspects of nutrition therapy include investigating clinical evidence of the impact of enteral nutritional support on clinical outcomes.

Background: The safety of critically ill patients during inter-hospital transfer is recognised as a globally important issue. However, little evidence exists pertaining to the care provided by transfer nurses throughout the processes of inter-hospital transfer in rural community hospitals where there is a high risk of adverse clinical events occurring during transportation. Aim: The overall aim of the study was to explore transfer nurses' understanding of the delivery of quality of care during the transfer of critically ill patients from rural community hospitals to a tertiary regional hospital in Thailand. Design and Methods: The theory of symbolic interactionism (Blumer, 1986) and focused ethnography methodology were used. Data were collected using multiple qualitative methods including sixteen semi-structured interviews with transfer nurses, fourteen observations of critically ill patients' transfers from three rural community hospitals to a tertiary centre and twenty-three subsequent handover events and the analysis of transfer documents from four hospital settings (e.g. one regional hospital and three rural community hospitals) in Thailand. Translation from Thai into English and back translation into vernacular language was required. Inductive, thematic analysis was conducted to identify major themes by using qualitative data analysis software, NVivo 10 to assist data management during the analysis. Results: Five major themes emerged including (i) protective factors influencing safe transfer care, (ii) barrier factors influencing safe transfer care, (iii) behavioural patterns in transfer care processes, (iv) maintaining the health condition of the patients, and (v) overcoming adverse events. These particular themes elaborate the meaning of the quality and patient safety of transfer care, the provision of care for safe transfer care, and significant contextual factors that influence the quality of inter-hospital transfer care for critically ill patients. In addition, Donabedian's model (Donabedian, 1966, 1988) incorporated within the concept of context and culture was utilised to assist in conceptualising the framework for the quality of inter-hospital transfer care of critically ill patients in Thailand. Conclusion: The Donabedian model is useful as it is simple, but it does not include detail of the organisational context and culture as determinants of care quality. A conceptual framework for the quality of inter-hospital transfer care of critically ill patients in Thailand was therefore proposed. This study has expanded on current theoretical knowledge of the quality of inter-hospital transfer care by elaborating the patterns of thought and the behaviour of transfer nurses during provision of care throughout the processes of the inter-hospital transfer. It also highlights the limitations of organisational structure and the environment in which transfer work takes place, including issues on handover processes in hospital transfer care. The results can be useful to transfer nurses in that they facilitate greater understanding of the provision of better quality of care. They also help to inform hospital policy makers how to ensure safety of critically ill patients being transferred from community hospital settings.

Adequate pain assessment is a pre-requisite for appropriate pain management. If pain remains untreated in critically ill young children, it can have dramatic short- and long-term consequences on their health and development. Apart from humanitarian reasons, the assessment of pain has been recognised in some parts of the world as the fifth vital sign and thus should be part of standard practice of pain management. The evaluation of pain in preverbal children is, nevertheless, challenging for health professionals, as they cannot rely on self-report when making their assessment. Observational pain instruments have been developed to facilitate this task, but none of these existing instruments are appropriate for the postoperative critically ill young child. The aim of this research was to provide a clinically valid pain instrument for health professionals to use in practice for the evaluation of the pain and the effectiveness of pain treatment in critically ill young children. This thesis presents research that was conducted in three phases to (a) describe pain, (b) develop, and (c) test the pain instrument. Conceptualisation of pain and psychometric theory informed the conceptual framework for this study. An observational design was used in Phase One of the study to define pain behaviour in critically ill infants. Correlational design was used in Phase Two and Three to determine the association between the newly developed pain scale and other pain assessment instruments. Phase One of the study was conducted in the paediatric intensive care units of two tertiary referral hospitals. Eight hundred and three recorded segments were generated from recordings of five critically ill infants, aged between 0 and 9 months, who had undergone major surgery. / Results indicated significant physiological and behavioural changes in response to postoperative pain and when postoperative pain was exacerbated by painful procedures. Using the pain indicators observed in Phase One, in Phase Two the Multidimensional Assessment Pain Scale (MAPS) was developed and tested for reliability and validity in 43 postoperative preverbal children from the same settings. Internal consistency and interrater reliability were moderate and good, respectively. Concurrent and convergent validity was good. In Phase Three, the MAPS' response to analgesics and clinical utility was demonstrated in a convenience sample of 19 postoperative critically ill children aged between 0 and 3 1 months of age at a tertiary referral hospital in Western Australia. Development of a pain instrument is a complex and lengthy process. This study presents the preliminary psychometric properties that support the validity and clinical utility of the Multidimensional Assessment Pain Scale. The MAPS is a promising tool for assessing postoperative pain in critically ill young children, and its clinical validity will be strengthened with further testing and evaluation.

Exposure to antibiotics is an important factor influencing the development of bacterial resistance.  In an era where very few new antibiotics are being developed, a strategy for the development of optimal dosing regimen and combination treatment that reduces the rate of resistance development and overcome existing resistance is of utmost importance. In addition, the optimal dosing in subpopulations is often not fully elucidated. The aim of this thesis was to develop pharmacokinetic (PK) and pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic (PKPD) models that characterize the interaction of antibiotics with bacterial growth, killing and resistance over time, and can be applied to guide optimization of dosing regimens that enhance the efficacy of mono- and combination antibiotic therapy. A mechanism-based PKPD model that incorporates the growth, killing kinetics and adaptive resistance development in Escherichia coli against gentamicin was developed based on  in vitro time-kill curve data. After some adaptations, the model was successfully applied for similar data on colistin and meropenem alone, and in combination, on one wild type and one meropenem-resistant strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The developed population PK model for colistin and its prodrug colistin methanesulfonate (CMS) in combination with the PKPD model showed the benefits for applying a loading dose for this drug. Simulations predicted the variability in bacteria kill to be larger between dosing occasions than between patients. A flat-fixed loading dose followed by an 8 or 12 hourly maintenance dose with infusion duration of up to 2 hours was shown to result in satisfactory bacterial kill under these conditions. Pharmacometric models that characterize the time-course of drug concentrations, bacterial growth, antibacterial killing and resistance development were successfully developed. Predictions illustrated how PKPD models based on in vitro data can be utilized to guide development of antibiotic dosing, with examples advocating regimens that (i) promote bacterial killing and reduce risk for toxicity in preterm and term newborn infants receiving gentamicin, (ii) achieve a fast initial bacterial killing and reduced resistance development of colistin in critically ill patients by application of a loading dose, and (iii) overcome existing meropenem resistance by combining colistin and meropenem

Background: Comprehensive oral care is an evidence-based, cost effective, essential routine nursing intervention that nurses ought to provide with good knowledge/understanding as it prevents and controls nosocomial infections especially Ventilator Associated Pneumonia (VAP) that is associated with increased morbidity and mortality in critically ill patients in Intensive Care Units (ICU). Aim of study: To determine ICU nurses’ knowledge, describe their practices and identify their perceptions regarding comprehensive oral health care to critically ill patients in order to refine or develop evidence based oral care protocol. Methods: A quantitative approach with a descriptive, exploratory survey was used for this study. A non probability convenience sample of thirty-four (34) ICU nurses from two public referral hospitals participated in this study. A questionnaire with a combination of open and closed ended questions was used to collect data on comprehensive oral care to critically ill patients. Results Thirty-four nurses responded to the questionnaire (response rate 89%). Only 18% (n=6) were knowledgeable about important aspects of oral care, while the majority, 82% (n=28) lacked knowledge on important aspects of oral care. Fifty-nine percent (59%) n=20 had received training on comprehensive oral care at basic nursing training and 44% (n=15) had orientation at unit level. Ninety-seven percent (97%) n=33 of the participants requested further updates on comprehensive oral care. No significant relationships were found between nurses’ demographic characteristics and knowledge of comprehensive oral care. All (100%) n=34 of nurses gave oral care a high priority and 91% ranked it very important for critically ill patients. Toothbrushes and toothpaste were used by 85% (n=29) of nurses and only 50% (n=17) used mouthwashes. The reason for non- use of mouthwashes was lack of supplies and not having been foreseen in unit protocol although neither of the units had an oral care protocol in place. / Thesis (M.N.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2011.

In critically ill patients, the pathophysiology of sepsis can affect the interactions between the antibiotic, the bacteria and the patient, leading to potential therapeutic failure and the development of antibiotic resistance. It is well acknowledged that research that optimises antibiotic exposure will assist improvement of outcomes in this patient group. Although beta-lactam antibiotics, such as piperacillin and meropenem, are commonly selected for empiric therapy of sepsis, dosing is unlikely to be optimal. In patients without renal dysfunction, data suggests that disease-induced alterations to pharmacokinetic parameters result in low trough concentrations for significant periods within a dosing interval. Administration of these time-dependent antibiotics by continuous infusion has been suggested to improve the pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic profile. Knowledge of concentrations in the extracellular fluid of human tissue, which is the target site of most pathogens, is particularly instructive. Extracellular fluid concentrations can be determined using techniques such as microdialysis. Therefore, the principal aims of this Thesis were to determine the plasma and subcutaneous tissue pharmacokinetics of piperacillin and meropenem administered by bolus dosing and continuous infusion in critically ill patients with sepsis; and to use Monte Carlo simulations to compare the ability of different dosing strategies to achieve pharmacodynamic endpoints. This Thesis also sought to compare the clinical outcomes of bolus dosing and continuous infusion of a beta-lactam antibiotic, ceftriaxone, in a prospective randomised controlled trial and to perform a meta-analysis on clinical outcomes from other similar published studies. Finally, this Thesis aimed to systematically review the published literature to determine any correlation between antibiotic dosing and the development of antibiotic resistance. The results of the pharmacokinetic studies, using piperacillin and meropenem, indicate that beta-lactam distribution into subcutaneous tissue, in critically ill patients with sepsis, is less than that observed in previous studies in healthy volunteers yet superior to studies in patients with septic shock. This supports the notion that the peripheral concentration of drugs may be inversely related to the level of sickness severity. Administration by continuous infusion was found to maintain statistically significantly higher trough beta-lactam concentrations in both plasma and subcutaneous tissue. Further analysis of the plasma data using population pharmacokinetic modeling and Monte Carlo simulations described significant pharmacodynamic advantages for administering meropenem or piperacillin by continuous infusion to organisms with high minimum inhibitory concentrations. Given the documented pharmacodynamic advantages for administering beta-lactams by continuous infusion, a prospective randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted using the beta-lactam antibiotic ceftriaxone. In 57 critically ill patients, we found equivalence between continuous infusion and bolus dosing in the intention-to-treat analysis. However, our a priori analysis criteria, requiring patients receive at least 4-days antibiotic treatment, found significant clinical and bacteriological advantages for administration by continuous infusion. To further investigate any clinical differences between bolus dosing and continuous infusion of beta-lactam antibiotics, we performed a meta-analysis of all published studies. Our analysis of the 13 published prospective randomized controlled trials (846 hospitalised patients) showed equivalence of continuous infusion and bolus dosing. Possible confounders observed within, and between the studies, make interpretation of these results challenging. However, two large retrospective cohorts not included in the meta-analysis, found definitive clinical and bacteriological advantages suggesting further research may be appropriate. The possible relationship between antibiotic dosing, or exposures, on the development of resistance was investigated using a structured review of the published literature. Our analysis of relevant papers found a wealth of data describing increasing levels of resistance with sub-optimal antibiotic dosing, particularly for fluoroquinolone antibiotics, but also for other classes including beta-lactams. These results demonstrate the importance of optimizing antibiotic dosing to decrease the development of antibiotic susceptibility from sub-optimal dosing, particularly for critically ill patients who are likely to have low drug concentrations. The results of this Thesis, suggest that a large, prospective, multi-centre randomised controlled trial in critically ill patients with sepsis, is required to definitively determine the clinical utility of administration of beta-lactam antibiotics by continuous infusion.

Thesis (MNutr (Human Nutrition))--Stellenbosch University, 2008. / Background Critical illness is associated with increased production of reactive oxygen species and oxidative stress, and low levels of most micronutrients with resultant diminished endogenous antioxidant defences. Micronutrient supplementation is thought to be beneficial to the critically ill patient by ameliorating oxidative stress and by improving clinical outcome. Objectives This systematic review assessed the effects of micronutrient supplementation on adults recovering from critical illness. Primary outcomes included clinical endpoints [mortality, infectious complications, length of intensive care unit and hospital stay (LICU and LOS)]. Secondary outcomes included descriptions of practice issues, micronutrient status, morbidity, course of the acute phase response and oxidative stress. Search strategy An electronic bibliographic database search was carried out, bibliographies of retrieved articles were reviewed and personal files searched to obtain additional citations. Databases were searched from inception until 29 February 2008. Selection criteria Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of micronutrient supplementation (by any route) in adult critically ill patients, given in addition to their routine care, were included. Data collection and analysis Two authors independently extracted data and assessed trial quality. For the primary outcomes the random-effects model was used to estimate overall relative risk / mean difference and effect size due to the presence of study heterogeneity. Selected exploratory analyses were undertaken. Differences at the level of p<0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. The secondary outcomes were sparse and variably recorded such that this data was not formally aggregated. Main results Fifteen RCTs involving 1714 participants and 18 RCTs involving 1849 participants were included for the primary and secondary objectives respectively. The quality of the RCTs, as reported, was disappointing, particularly for allocation concealment. Fourteen trials (n=1468) of micronutrient supplementation showed a statistically significant reduction in overall mortality [relative risk (RR) 0.78, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.67-0.90, I2=0%, p=0.0009]. An asymmetrical funnel plot necessitates caution when directly interpreting these results. Six RCTs (n=1194) indicated a statistically significant reduction in 28 day mortality (RR 0.75, 95% CI 0.63-0.88, I2=0%, p=0.0006) (symmetrical funnel plot). Micronutrient supplementation in this systematic review was not associated with a reduction in infectious complications, LICU or LOS. In sub-group analyses, single nutrients were associated with borderline statistical significance (RR 0.82, 95% CI 0.66-1.01, I2=0%, p=0.06) in terms of mortality, whist a sensitivity analysis of combined micronutrients indicated a significant reduction in mortality (RR 0.69, 95% CI 0.54-0.90, I2=2%, p= 0.006). This review did not find clear evidence that parenteral is superior to enteral administration in terms of clinical outcomes. The secondary outcomes confirmed that timing, duration and dosing are key factors to ensure optimal clinical benefit. Conclusion This review does suggest potential benefit of micronutrient supplementation in critically ill adults for some clinical outcomes (especially mortality), but also highlights that caution is warranted as nutrient interactions and risk of toxicity are not clearly defined in critical illness. More large multi-centre randomized trials are necessary to assess the effects of different types and doses of micronutrient supplementation in selected groups of patients with different types of critical illness.