The demographic factors associated with blood ketone levels in acute care patients.

Blood ketone measurement has been used in the treatment of diabetic ketoacidosis for some time. However it also provides a monitor of nutritional status. Ketonaemia [elevated blood ketones] occur when the body switches from glucose to fatty acids as the main metabolic substrate. This occurs in starvation, during illness and also with prolonged perioperative fasting. The aim of this study is to establish the prevalence and associations of ketonaemia in acute care patients. Point of care, single drop, blood analysis [similar to blood sugar testing] provides a simple method of detecting ketonaemia. Making measurements on discarded blood during cannulation or routine blood collection and relating the ketone level to factors collected from the electronic medical record [eMR] will enable normal ranges and demographic associations to be established. This observational study will permit use of blood ketone measurement to detect nutritionally vulnerable populations and establish a baseline for studies of specific interventions in the future.