No published data exist following the changes in lipid profile during and after an episode of acute illness for the Australian Indigenous population. This paper presents data focusing on lipid profiles and inflammatory markers in a group of survivors of critical illness in Central Australia, prospectively recruited to a larger trial exploring the medium-term sequelae of an intensive care unit admission. This data confirm that lipid profiles in acute illness are deranged, and that recovery may differ between indigenous and non-indigenous populations. © 2013 The Authors; Internal Medicine Journal © 2013 Royal Australasian College of Physicians.