Liu S, Wang C, Green G, et al. - Utilizing data from a prospective observational cohort study run at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, researchers investigated the link between peripheral blood leukocyte (PBL) telomere length (TL) [PBL-TL] and survival from critical illness in 937 critically ill patients. To measure TL, qPCR of DNA isolated from PBL was performed. Using an independent cohort comprising 394 critically ill patients with sepsis admitted to the University of California San Francisco, the results were validated. Findings revealed a strong association of short PBL-TL with worse survival and more severe ARDS in critically ill patients, this was particularly evident in patients with sepsis. The possible contribution of telomere dysfunction to outcomes from critical illness was suggested in this study.