What Is the Utility of Measuring Lactate Levels in Patients with Sepsis and Septic Shock?

2021 ◽  
Vol 42 (05) ◽  
pp. 650-661
Author(s):  
Jeremy Weinberger ◽  
Michael Klompas ◽  
Chanu Rhee

AbstractElevations in blood lactate concentrations have been studied in sepsis and other disease states for decades and are well known to be associated with increased mortality. Many studies have also demonstrated the prognostic accuracy of serial lactate levels, and some have suggested that lactate clearance may be a useful therapeutic target for resuscitation. Lactate measurements have therefore gained an increasingly prominent role in sepsis definitions, screening protocols, management guidelines, and quality measures over the past two decades. The heavy emphasis on lactate monitoring, however, has also generated controversy and concerns. Lactate is not specific to infection and its frequent use for sepsis screening and diagnosis may therefore trigger unnecessary broad-spectrum antibiotic use in some patients. Because hyperlactatemia does not always reflect fluid-responsive hypoperfusion, titrating resuscitation to lactate clearance can also lead to unnecessary fluid and volume overload. More broadly, there is a lack of high-quality evidence demonstrating that initial and serial lactate monitoring leads to better patient-centered outcomes. Indeed, a recent randomized controlled trial comparing resuscitation strategies based on lactate clearance versus normalizing capillary refill time showed no benefit and potential harm with lactate-guided therapy. In this article, we review the basic pathobiology of lactate metabolism and delineate why the traditional paradigm that hyperlactatemia reflects tissue hypoxia is overly simplistic and incomplete. We then review the evidence behind the diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic uses of lactate monitoring and place this in the context of evolving sepsis diagnosis and management guidelines.

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S106-S107
Author(s):  
Suji Mathew ◽  
Leah Whitman

Abstract Background Serum lactate is included in the initial assessment of patients with sepsis. However, cancer patients develop lactic acidosis for a variety of reasons and are underrepresented in most studies. Therefore, elevated lactate levels may lead to overdiagnosis of sepsis and excessive antibiotic use. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the utility of lactate as a biomarker for sepsis in cancer patients. The primary endpoint is the rate of 24-hour lactate clearance between infectious and non-infectious causes of lactic acidosis in cancer patients. Secondary objectives explore the duration of antibiotic therapy (DOT), the impact of liver metastasis on serum lactate levels, and the role of procalcitonin in distinguishing between infectious and non-infectious causes of lactic acidosis. Methods Retrospective chart review by Antimicrobial Stewardship team Figure 1: Study design Results Preliminary data from a random subset of our sample (45/150) suggests there is no difference in mean serum lactate levels between infectious and non-infectious groups (4.6 vs 6.4). However, a substantial difference exists in the rate of 24h lactate clearance, although the difference was not statistically significant (58.3% vs 33%; p=0.13) (Fig2). There was a significant difference in antibiotic DOT (12.6 vs 3.3; p< 0.0001) presumably due to robust antimicrobial stewardship practices. Consistent with previous studies, there was a significant difference in procalcitonin levels between groups (27.2 vs 1.5, p=0.04). A sub-analysis of non-infectious patients with liver metastasis revealed a statistically significant difference in the rate of lactate clearance (21% vs 61.5%, p=0.03) (Fig3) suggesting that liver involvement impacts lactate clearance. Antibiotic DOT were also longer in non-infectious patients with liver metastasis (4.53 vs 1.38, p=0.02). Comparing end points between cancer patients with and witthout infection. Liver involvement affecting Lactate clearance in patients without infection. Conclusion Cancer patients often manifest SIRS criteria at baseline which may lead to the overdiagnosis of infection and excessive antibiotic usage. Our observation is that lactate clearance as opposed to degree of lactic acidosis may be a more accurate indicator of infection in cancer patients especially those with liver involvement. This information may mitigate unnecessary antibiotic use in cancer patients with persistent lactic acidosis unrelated to infection. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael P. Dorsch ◽  
Karen B. Farris ◽  
Brigid E. Rowell ◽  
Scott L. Hummel ◽  
Todd M. Koelling

BACKGROUND Successful management of heart failure (HF) involves guideline based medical therapy as well as self-care behavior. As a result, the management of HF is moving toward a proactive real-time technological model of assisting patients with monitoring and self-management. OBJECTIVE Evaluate the effectiveness of a mobile application intervention that enhances self-monitoring on health-related quality of life, self-management, and reduces HF readmissions. METHODS A single-center randomized controlled trial was performed. Patients greater than 45 years of age and admitted for acute decompensated HF or recently discharged in the past 4 weeks were included. The intervention group used a mobile application (App). The intervention prompted daily self-monitoring and promoted self-management. The control group (No App) received usual care. The primary outcome was the change in Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLHFQ) from baseline to 6 and 12 weeks. Secondary outcomes were the Self-Care Heart Failure Index (SCHFI) questionnaire and recurrent HF admissions. RESULTS Eighty-three patients were enrolled and completed all baseline assessments. Baseline characteristics were similar between groups with the exception of HF etiology. The App group had a reduced MLHFQ at 6 weeks (37.5 ± 3.5 vs. 48.2 ± 3.7, P=0.039) but not at 12 weeks (44.2 ± 4 vs. 45.9 ± 4, P=0.778) compared to No App. There was no effect of the App on the SCHFI at 6 or 12 weeks. The time to first HF admission was not statistically different between the App versus No App groups (HR 0.89, 95% CI 0.39-2.02, P=0.781) over 12 weeks. CONCLUSIONS The mobile application intervention improved MLHFQ at 6 weeks, but did not sustain its effects at 12 weeks. No effect was seen on HF self-care. Further research is needed to enhance engagement in the application for a longer period of time and to determine if the application can reduce HF admissions in a larger study. CLINICALTRIAL NCT03149510


BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. e040977
Author(s):  
Nga Thi Thuy Do ◽  
Rachel Claire Greer ◽  
Yoel Lubell ◽  
Sabine Dittrich ◽  
Maida Vandendorpe ◽  
...  

IntroductionC-reactive protein (CRP), a biomarker of infection, has been used widely in high-income settings to guide antibiotic treatment in patients presenting with respiratory illnesses in primary care. Recent trials in low- and middle-income countries showed that CRP testing could safely reduce antibiotic use in patients with non-severe acute respiratory infections (ARIs) and fever in primary care. The studies, however, were conducted in a research-oriented context, with research staff closely monitoring healthcare behaviour thus potentially influencing healthcare workers’ prescribing practices. For policy-makers to consider wide-scale roll-out, a pragmatic implementation study of the impact of CRP point of care (POC) testing in routine care is needed.Methods and analysisA pragmatic, cluster-randomised controlled trial, with two study arms, consisting of 24 commune health centres (CHC) in the intervention arm (provision of CRP tests with additional healthcare worker guidance) and 24 facilities acting as controls (routine care). Comparison between the treatment arms will be through logistic regression, with the treatment assignment as a fixed effect, and the CHC as a random effect. With 48 clusters, an average of 10 consultations per facility per week will result in approximately 520 over 1 year, and 24 960 in total (12 480 per arm). We will be able to detect a reduction of 12% to 23% or more in immediate antibiotic prescription as a result of the CRP POC intervention. The primary endpoint is the proportion of patient consultations for ARI resulting in immediate antibiotic prescription. Secondary endpoints include the proportion of all patients receiving an antibiotic prescription regardless of ARI diagnosis, frequency of re-consultation, subsequent antibiotic use when antibiotics are not prescribed, referral and hospitalisation.Ethics and disseminationThe study protocol was approved by the Oxford University Tropical Research Ethics Committee (OxTREC, Reference: 53–18), and the ethical committee of the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Vietnam (Reference:07/HDDD-NDTW/2019). Results from this study will be disseminated via meetings with stakeholders, conferences and publications in peer-reviewed journals. Authorship and reporting of this work will follow international guidelines.Trial registration detailsNCT03855215; Pre-results.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Luc Morin ◽  
Karthik Narayanan Ramaswamy ◽  
Muralidharan Jayashree ◽  
Arun Bansal ◽  
Karthi Nallasamy ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The European Society of Pediatric and Neonatal Intensive Care (ESPNIC) developed and validated a definition of pediatric refractory septic shock (RSS), based on two septic shock scores (SSS). Both bedside SSS (bSSS) and computed SSS (cSSS) were found to be strongly associated with mortality. We aimed at assessing the accuracy of the RSS definition on a prospective cohort from India. Methods Post hoc analysis of a cohort issued from a double-blind randomized trial that compared first-line vasoactive drugs in children with septic shock. Sequential bSSS and cSSS from 60 children (single-center study, 53% mortality) were analyzed. The prognostic value of the ESPNIC RSS definition was tested for 28-day all-cause mortality. Results In this septic shock cohort, RSS was diagnosed in 35 patients (58.3%) during the first 24 h. Death occurred in 30 RSS patients (85.7% mortality) and in 2 non-RSS patients (8% mortality), OR = 60.9 [95% CI: 10.5–676.2], p < 0.001 with a median delay from sepsis onset of 3 days [1.0–6.7]. Among patients diagnosed with RSS, the mortality was not significantly different according to vasopressors randomization. Diagnosis of RSS with bSSS and cSSS had a high discrimination for death with an area under the receiver operating curve of 0.916 [95% CI: 0.843–0.990] and 0.925 [95% CI: 0.845–1.000], respectively. High prognostic accuracy of the bSSS was found in the first hours following intensive care admission. The best interval of prognostication occurs after the 12th hour following treatment initiation (AUC 0.973 [95% CI: 0.925–1.000]). Conclusions The ESPNIC refractory septic shock definition accurately identifies, within the first 6 h of septic shock management, children with lethal outcome.


Author(s):  
Larissa May ◽  
Grant Tatro ◽  
Eduard Poltavskiy ◽  
Benjamin Mooso ◽  
Simson Hon ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Acute upper respiratory tract infections are a common cause of Emergency Department (ED) visits and often result in unnecessary antibiotic treatment.  Methods We conducted a randomized clinical trial to evaluate the impact of a rapid, multi-pathogen respiratory panel (RP) test versus usual care (control). Patients were eligible if they were ≥12 months old, had symptoms of upper respiratory infection or influenza like illness, and were not on antibiotics. The primary outcome was antibiotic prescription; secondary outcomes included antiviral prescription, disposition, and length of stay (ClinicalTrials.gov# NCT02957136). Results Of 191 patients enrolled, 93 (49%) received RP testing; 98 (51%) received usual care. Fifty-three (57%) RP and 7 (7%) control patients had a virus detected and reported during the ED visit (p=0.0001). Twenty (22%) RP patients and 33 (34%) usual care patients received antibiotics during the ED visit (-12% [95% CI -25%, 0.4%]; p=0.06/0.08); 9 RP patients received antibiotics despite having a virus detected. The magnitude of antibiotic reduction was greater in children (-19%) versus adults (-9%; post-hoc analysis). There was no difference in antiviral use, length of stay, or disposition. Conclusions Rapid RP testing was associated with a trend towards decreased antibiotic use, suggesting a potential benefit from more rapid viral tests in the ED. Future studies should determine if specific groups are more likely to benefit from testing and evaluate relative cost and effectiveness of broad testing, focused testing, and a combined diagnostic and antimicrobial stewardship approach.


2014 ◽  
Vol 54 (3) ◽  
pp. 168
Author(s):  
Keswari Aji Patriawati ◽  
Nurnaningsih Nurnaningsih ◽  
Purnomo Suryantoro

Background Sepsis is a major health problem in children and aleading cause of death. In recent decades, lactate has been studiedas a biomarker for sepsis, and as an indicator of global tissuehypoxia, increased glycolysis, endotoxin effect, and anaerobicmetabolism. Many studies h ave shown both high levels andincreased serial blood lactate level measurements to be associatedwith increased risk of sepsis mortality.Objective To evaluate serial blood lactate levels as a prognosticfactor for sepsis mortality.Methods We performed an observational, prospective study in thePediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at DR. Sardjito Hospital,Yogyakarta from July to November 2012. We collected serialblood lactate specimens of children with sepsis, first at the time ofadmission, followed by 6 and 24 hours later. The outcome measurewas mortality at the end ofintensive care. Relative risks and 95%confidence intervals of the factors associated with mortality werecalculated using univariate and multivariate analyses.Results Sepsis was found in 91 (50.3%) patients admitted tothe PIW , of whom 75 were included in this study. Five patients(6. 7%) died before the 24-hour lactate collection and 39 patients(52.0%) died during the study. Blood lactate levels of ~ 4mmol;Lat the first and 24-hour specimens were associated with mortality(RR 2.9; 95%CI 1.09 to 7 .66 and RR 4.92; 95%CI 1.77 to 13.65,respectively). Lactate clearance of less than 10% at 24 hours(adjusted RR 5.3; 95% CI 1.1 to 24.5) had a significantly greaterrisk fo llowed by septic shock (adjusted RR 1.54; 95%CI 1.36 to6.4 7) due to mortality.Conclusion In children with sepsis there is a greater risk of mortalityin those with increasing or persistently high serial blood lactatelevels, as shown by less than 10% lactate clearance at 24-hours afterPIW admission.


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