In a retrospective analysis focused on survivors of an ICU stay of 7 days or more, we showed that during the week following discharge, carnitine deficiency was rare, but acylcarnitine profile was altered, with an abnormal acylcarnitine/carnitine ratio in more than 25% of the population.~Carnitine has a key role in cellular energy metabolism and is a a biomarker of the mitochondria function. Moreover, mitochondrial function is proven to be severely impaired in critically ill patients and mitochondrial dysfunction has been linked to post-ICU disorders.~In this context, it is relevant to study the evolution over time of the acylcarnitine profile in ICU survivors of a prolonged ICU stay. It is also relevant to compare the same profile between survivors of a prolonged and a shorter ICU stay.
The aim of the study is to compare the acylcarnitine profile of critically ill survivors of a prolonged stay in ICU with the profile of survivors of short ICU length of stay. The second aim is to assess the evolution of the acylcarnitine profile over time in survivors of a prolonged ICU stay.