Table 1

Comparative methods and endpoints of the two supplementation studies


Study 1 [15]
Study 2 [16]

Methods


Study design
Prospective, randomised, placebo-controlled trial
Prospective, randomised, placebo-controlled trial
Stratification
None
Age (≥ or <50 years)
Inhalation (yes/no)
Burned BSA (≥ or <50%)
Inclusion and exclusion criteria
Identical
Identical
Trace elements per day (intravenous)
Copper 40.4 μmol (2.5 mg)/day
Selenium 2.9 μmol (315 μg)/day
Zinc 407 μmol (26.2 mg)/day
Copper 47.6 μmol (3.1 mg)/day
Selenium 4.8 μmol (380 μg)/day
Zinc 574 μmol (31.4 mg)/day
Duration of supplementation
8 days
14 days if burns <60% of BSA
21 days if burns ≥60% of BSA
Nutritional management
Early enteral feeding (within 12 hours of admission) targeted at 1.3 times of resting energy expenditure, reached during a period of 4 days
Identical
Vitamins per day
Vitamin C 1 g, vitamin E 100 mg, vitamin B 100 mg, and multivitamin (Cernevit®; Baxter, Plessis, France)
Identical
Blood sampling
Days 0, 1, 5, 10, 15, 20, and 30 for plasma trace elements + vitamin dosages
Identical + plasma GSHPx activity
Skin biopsies
None
Days 3, 10, and 20: tissue selenium, zinc, and GSHPx activity
Endpoints


Clinical endpoints
Length of mechanical ventilation
Length of ICU stay
Length of ICU stay per burned percentage of BSA
Identical
Wound healing
Success of skin grafting (percentage of grafted area per percentage of area with surgical burns)
Identical + Whole body turnover of glycerol, glucose, and phenylalanine Phenylalanine skin incorporation
Immune response
Chemotaxis capacity of neutrophil
T lymphocyte and neutrophil counts
Cell surface markers on lymphocytes
Adhesion molecules on neutrophils
Not performed
Infectious complications and definition
Prospective surveillance during the first 30 days of stay according to predefined criteria [18]
Identical
Antibiotic treatment
Details on antibiotic delivery (type, dose, and route)
Identical

BSA, body surface area; GSHPx, glutathione peroxidase; ICU, intensive care unit.

Berger et al. Critical Care 2006 10:R153   doi:10.1186/cc5084