Lactate and Mortality in the Intensive Care Unit

Abstract

Purpose: In our study, we aimed to assess the relationship between the initial value of blood lactate levels and mortality rate in ICU patients with sepsis. Materials and Methods: Our study was conducted as a retrospective study, and patients admitted to the Anesthesiology Intensive Care Unit with sepsis diagnosis were included. Demographic and clinical characteristics of patients' data were collected and recorded from patients’ medical records. Blood lactate levels were obtained from all patients. Demographic and clinical characteristics and blood lactate levels compared between the mortality occurring and a non-mortality groups of patients. A receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve was constructed to assess the best blood lactate level cutoff to predict the mortality rate and diagnostic value of this cutoff level. Results: During the study period, 892 patients were admitted to ICU and 218 of those with sepsis were included in the study. The area under the ROC curve to predict the mortality rate of blood lactate level was 0.862 (95% CI: 0.809–0.905) (p= 0.0001). The blood lactate cutoff level related to mortality was found to be 2.7 mmol / L (sensitivity: 90.3%, 95% CI: 82.4–95.5, specificity: 72.8%, CI:64.1–80.4). Conclusion: Lactate levels are important indicator for predicting mortality in patients with sepsis in the hospitals and ICUs. Close follow-up for lactate levels may change the treatment modality and clinical outcome during hospitalization.

Keywords

• intensive care unit;
• mortality
• lactate
• sepsis