Metabolomic Derangements Are Associated with Mortality in Critically Ill Adult Patients

ObjectiveTo identify metabolomic biomarkers predictive of Intensive Care Unit (ICU) mortality in adults.RationaleComprehensive metabolomic profiling of plasma at ICU admission to identify biomarkers associated with mortality has recently become feasible.MethodsWe performed metabolomic profiling of plasma from 90 ICU subjects enrolled in the BWH Registry of Critical Illness (RoCI). We tested individual metabolites and a Bayesian Network of metabolites for association with 28-day mortality, using logistic regression in R, and the CGBayesNets Package in MATLAB. Both individual metabolites and the network were tested for replication in an independent cohort of 149 adults enrolled in the Community Acquired Pneumonia and Sepsis Outcome Diagnostics (CAPSOD) study.ResultsWe tested variable metabolites for association with 28-day mortality. In RoCI, nearly one third of metabolites differed among ICU survivors versus those who died by day 28 (N = 57 metabolites, pConclusionBoth individual metabolites and a metabolomic network were associated with 28-day mortality in two independent cohorts. Metabolomic profiling represents a valuable new approach for identifying novel biomarkers in critically ill patients.