[Oxidative stress: unsolved problem in the complex therapy in critically ill patients].

Background: Recent reports emphasize the important role of oxidative stress in the genesis of many syndromes and diseases. The ICU patients have prerequisites for activation of oxidative stress process: activation of the neutrophils, macrophages, and other cells which are capable of producing reactive oxygen species (ROS). The traditional opinion was that lipids are the primary target of the ROS but new data show also protein damage.