Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41654972›Full record

ArticleJournal of intensive care2026

Time-weighted lactate and glucose-lactate ratio outperform static values in ICU mortality prediction after traumatic brain injury: a retrospective cohort study.

Matthias Manfred Deininger, Magdalena Ralser, Nico Haehn, Marius Huehn, Dmitrij Ziles, Gernot Marx, Catharina Conzen-Dilger, Anke Hoellig, Thomas Breuer

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Article in Journal of intensive care, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Matthias Manfred Deininger *Department of Intensive Care Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, Pauwelsstr. 30, 52074, Aachen, Germany. mdeininger@ukaachen.de.
Magdalena Ralser *Department of Intensive Care Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, Pauwelsstr. 30, 52074, Aachen, Germany.
Nico HaehnDepartment of Intensive Care Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, Pauwelsstr. 30, 52074, Aachen, Germany.
Marius HuehnDepartment of Intensive Care Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, Pauwelsstr. 30, 52074, Aachen, Germany.
Dmitrij ZilesDepartment of Intensive Care Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, Pauwelsstr. 30, 52074, Aachen, Germany.
Gernot MarxDepartment of Intensive Care Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, Pauwelsstr. 30, 52074, Aachen, Germany.
Catharina Conzen-DilgerDepartment of Neurosurgery, Faculty of Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, Pauwelsstr. 30, 52074, Aachen, Germany.
Anke HoelligDepartment of Neurosurgery, Faculty of Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, Pauwelsstr. 30, 52074, Aachen, Germany.
Thomas BreuerDepartment of Intensive Care Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, Pauwelsstr. 30, 52074, Aachen, Germany.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundTraumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major cause of trauma-related deaths. Systemic glucose and lactate levels reflect secondary metabolic derangements over time; however, most prognostic models rely on admission values. This study compared static and longitudinal indices of glucose, lactate, and their ratio in relation to ICU mortality.

methodsThis retrospective single-center study analyzed 479 non-diabetic adult patients with TBI admitted to a German university ICU (2013-2023). After 1:2 severity-balanced, outcome-stratified propensity score matching, 229 patients (150 survivors, 79 non-survivors) were included. Indices comprised admission values, means, clearance, time-weighted averages, variability, and dysglycemic burden. Outcome was ICU mortality, assessed using regression, mixed-effects modeling, and ROC analysis.

resultsLongitudinal indices showed stronger associations. Time-weighted average lactate was the best independent predictor (OR 14.70, 95% CI [5.41-39.98], p < 0.001, AUC 0.73). Time-weighted average glucose-lactate ratio also independently predicted ICU mortality (OR 0.75, 95% CI [0.66-0.86], p < 0.001). Non-survivors exhibited persistently higher glucose, lactate and lower ratios, with lactate significantly elevated on all first ten ICU days (all p < 0.05). Admission values, clearance and variability were not predictive after adjustment.

conclusionsIn critically ill non-diabetic patients with TBI, longitudinal time-weighted average lactate significantly outperformed admission values and glucose metrics for predicting ICU mortality in a severity-balanced cohort; the glucose-lactate ratio was associated but did not surpass lactate. These findings underscore the importance of longitudinal monitoring and support prioritizing lactate in multiparametric prognostic model to account for secondary injuries. Prospective validation is warranted to confirm external validity and assess therapeutic implications.

Indexed as

GlucoseGlucose–lactate ratioLactateMortalityPredictionPrognosisSecondary injuryTraumatic brain injury

Identifiers

PMID41654972
PMCPMC12977792

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.