Measurement of urinary lactic, 3-hydroxybutyric, pyruvic and acetoacetic acids in a single analysis using selected ion monitoring and stable isotope labelling techniques.

Sodium borodeuteride treatment of urine expected to have large concentrations of pyruvic and acetoacetic acids produces lactic and 3-hydroxybutyric acids labelled with deuterium. Mass fragmentographic techniques applied to the trimethylsilyated extract of the urine spiked with more extensively labelled analogues as internal standards permit the reliable determination of lactic, pyruvic, 3-hydroxybutyric and acetoacetic acids in a single analysis.