• C S Burkhart, S Dell-Kuster, M Siegemund, H Pargger, S Marsch, S P Strebel, and L A Steiner.
• Department for Anesthesia, Surgical Intensive Care, Prehospital Emergency Medicine and Pain Therapy, University Hospital of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
• Acta Anaesthesiol Scand. 2014 Jul 1;58(6):689-700.

BackgroundData regarding immunomodulatory effects of parenteral n-3 fatty acids in sepsis are conflicting. In this study, the effect of administration of parenteral n-3 fatty acids on markers of brain injury, incidence of sepsis-associated delirium, and inflammatory mediators in septic patients was investigated.MethodsFifty patients with sepsis were randomized to receive either 2 ml/kg/day of a lipid emulsion containing highly refined fish oil (equivalent to n-3 fatty acids 0.12 mg/kg/day) during 7 days after admission to the intensive care unit or standard treatment. Markers of brain injury and inflammatory mediators were measured on days 1, 2, 3 and 7. Assessment for sepsis-associated delirium was performed daily. The primary outcome was the difference in S-100β from baseline to peak level between both the intervention and the control group, compared by t-test. Changes of all markers over time were explored in both groups, fitting a generalized estimating equations model.ResultsMean difference in change of S-100β from baseline to peak level was 0.34 (95% CI: -0.18-0.85) between the intervention and control group, respectively (P = 0.19). We found no difference in plasma levels of S-100β, neuron-specific enolase, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, IL-10, and C-reactive protein between groups over time. Incidence of sepsis-associated delirium was 75% in the intervention and 71% in the control groups (risk difference 4%, 95% CI -24-31%, P = 0.796).ConclusionAdministration of n-3 fatty acids did not affect markers of brain injury, incidence of sepsis-associated delirium, and inflammatory mediators in septic patients.© 2014 The Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica Foundation. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

64 keywords...

hide…