Glucose-to-lactate ratio and neurodevelopment in infants with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy: an observational study

We aimed to assess the glucose and lactate kinetics during therapeutic hypothermia (TH) in infants with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy and its relationship with longitudinal neurodevelopment. We measured glucose and lactate concentrations before TH and on days 2 and 3 in infants with mild, moderate, and severe hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). Neurodevelopment was assessed at 2 years. Participants were grouped according to the neurodevelopmental outcome into favorable (FO) or unfavorable (UFO). Eighty-eight infants were evaluated at follow-up, 34 for the FO and 54 for the UFO group. Severe hypo- (< 2.6 mmol/L) and hyperglycemia (> 10 mmol/L) occurred in 18% and 36% from the FO and UFO groups, respectively. Glucose-to-lactate ratio on day 1 was the strongest predictor of unfavorable metabolic outcome (OR 3.27 [Formula: see text] 1.81, p = 0.032) when adjusted for other clinical and metabolic variables, including Sarnat score. Conclusion: Glucose-to-lactate ratio on day 1 may represent a new risk marker for infants with HIE undergoing TH. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00431-022-04694-3.