Table 1 Primary outcome and patient characteristic at ICU admission
From: l-carnitine in critically ill patients—a case series study
| All patients | f-Carnitine‡ < 36 | f-Carnitine‡ > 36 | p value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patients (%) | 64 (100.0) | 15 (23.4) | 49 (76.6) | |
| f-Carnitine‡ | 50.5 (36.8–80.3) | 30.0 (25.5–34.2) | 57.9 (46.0–100.3) | < 0.01 |
| Age (year) | 62.8 ± 17.4 | 60.1 ± 17.3 | 63.6 ± 17.5 | 0.49 |
| Male (%) | 41 (64.0) | 7 (46.6) | 34 (69.3) | 0.13 |
| Weight (kg) | 57.4 ± 11.7 | 58.7 ± 9.6 | 56.7 ± 12.3 | 0.56 |
| Body mass index | 21.6 ± 3.8 | 23.3 ± 2.9 | 21.1 ± 3.9 | 0.06 |
| Comorbidity | ||||
| Diabetes mellitus | 10 (15.6) | 3 (20.0) | 7 (14.2) | 0.68 |
| Hyperlipidemia | 3 (4.6) | 0 (0) | 3 (6.1) | 1.0 |
| Cirrhosis | 4 (6.2) | 1 (6.6) | 3 (6.1) | 1.0 |
| Chronic kidney disease | 5 (7.8) | 2 (13.3) | 3 (6.1) | 0.3 |
| Hemodialysis | 4 (6.2) | 2 (13.3) | 2 (4.0) | 0.23 |
| APACHE II¶ score | 26.9 ± 10.4 | 25.5 ± 10.8 | 27.4 ± 10.3 | 0.56 |
| SOFA§ score | 8.1 ± 4.8 | 6.1 ± 3.9 | 8.8 ± 5.0 | 0.06 |
| Diagnosis, no. (%) | ||||
| Sepsis | 18 (28.1) | 2 (13.3) | 16 (32.6) | 0.19 |
| Gastrointestinal disorder | 13 (20.3) | 5 (33.3) | 8 (16.3) | 0.16 |
| Neurological disorder | 9 (14.0) | 3 (20) | 6 (12.2) | 0.42 |
| Trauma | 10 (15.6) | 2 (13.3) | 8 (16.3) | 1.0 |
| Patient origin | 0.08 | |||
| Emergency department | 22 (34.3) | 8 (53.3) | 14 (28.5) | |
| General ward | 17 (26.5) | 1 (6.6) | 16 (32.6) | |
| Other hospital | 25 (39.0) | 6 (40.0) | 19 (38.7) | |
| Fasting duration (days) | 1.1 ± 0.9 | 1.0 ± 0.6 | 1.2 ± 1.0 | 0.45 |
| Artificial nutrition | 5 (7.8) | 1 (6.6) | 4 (8.1) | 1.0 |
| Valproic acid treatment | 2 (3.1) | 0 | 2 (4.0) | 1.0 |
| Alb (g/dL) | 2.9 ± 0.8 | 3.1 ± 0.7 | 2.8 ± 0.8 | 0.21 |
| HbA1c (%) | 6.4 ± 2.5 | 6.1 ± 2.3 | 6.4 ± 2.6 | 0.73 |