Abstract Objective: Critical illness is associated with the generation of oxygen free radicals and low endog- enous antioxidant capacity leading to a condition of oxidative stress. We investigated whether supplementing critically ill patients with antioxi- dants, trace elements, and vitamins improves their survival. Methods: We searched four bibliographic databases from 1980 to 2003 and included studies that were randomized, re- ported clinically important endpoints in critically ill patients, and compared various trace elements and vitamins to placebo Abstract Objective: Critical illness is associated with the generation of oxygen free radicals and low endogenous antioxidant capacity leading to a condition of oxidative stress. We investigated whether supplementing critically ill patients with antioxidants, trace elements, and vitamins improves their survival. Methods: We searched four bibliog...