Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 6, 2025
Identification and Quantification of Deranged Metabolites in Critically Ill Patients Using NMR-Based Metabolomics
Published on: November 29, 2024
Persistent metabolomic alterations characterize chronic critical illness after severe trauma
Dara L Horn1, Lisa F Bettcher, Sandi L Navarro
1From the Department of Surgery (D.L.H.), and Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine (L.F.B., V.P., F.C.N., D.R.), University of Washington; Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (S.L.N., D.R.); and Division of Trauma and Critical Care, Department of Surgery (J.C., G.E.O.), Harborview Medical Center, Seattle, Washington.
Metabolic profiles of trauma patients who died or developed chronic critical illness (CCI) differ from those who recovered. Early detection of these metabolic changes, including inflammation and gut microbiome alterations, can improve patient outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Trauma research
- Metabolomics
- Critical care medicine
Background:
- Persistent inflammation, immunosuppression, and catabolism can hinder recovery after trauma.
- Understanding metabolic responses is key for early identification and intervention in trauma patients.
- Chronic critical illness (CCI) and mortality are adverse outcomes following severe injury.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize and compare metabolic profiles of trauma victims with different outcomes.
- To identify metabolic differences within one week post-injury.
- To explore the potential of metabolomics for early diagnosis and targeted intervention.
Main Methods:
- Mass spectrometry analysis of venous blood samples from trauma survivors (≥7 days).
- Comparison of patients who died/developed CCI versus those who recovered rapidly and uninjured controls.
- Statistical analyses including PLS-DA, t-tests, and regression for metabolite and pathway identification.
Main Results:
- Significant differences in 56 metabolites and 21 pathways between outcome groups.
- Metabolic profiles distinguished outcome groups as early as 1-day post-injury.
- Key differences observed in amino acid metabolism, oxidative stress markers, inflammatory mediators, and gut microbiome products.
Conclusions:
- Metabolic profiles clearly differentiate trauma patients who die or develop CCI from those who recover.
- Identified metabolic markers include those related to inflammation, oxidative stress, amino acid metabolism, and gut microbiome.
- Targeted metabolomics shows promise for improving early diagnosis and guiding interventions in post-injury care.
