A Point-of-Care Serum Lactate Level and Mortality in Adult Sepsis Patients: A Community Hospital Setting

Introduction: Sepsis is a serious and emergency condition that may lead to acute circulatory failure associated with infection. Serum lactate level of over 4 mmol/L is associated with sepsis mortality. However, there is limited data on using a point of care (POC) for fingertip lactate level on sepsis mortality in community hospital setting. This study aimed to evaluate roles of POC for serum lactate with combination of clinical factors on mortality prediction in sepsis patients. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study conducted at 7 community hospitals. The inclusion criteria were adult patients with diagnosis of sepsis who were tested for POC lactate level. Electronic chart reviews of eligible patients were performed. Predictors for mortality were computed using clinical factors and POC lactate level. Results: There were 1641 patients met the study criteria. The mortality rate was 8.96% (147 patients). There were 3 independent factors associated with mortality: age, co-morbid diseases, and POC lactate level. The adjusted odds ratio (95% CI) of POC lactate level was 1.025 (1.002, 1.048). The cut point of serum lactate was 1.6 mmol/L gave sensitivity of 79.59% and specificity of 32.10%. Conclusion: POC serum lactate level may be associated with mortality in sepsis patients at community hospitals. Lactate level of 1.6 mmol/L may be an indicator for mortality with good sensitivity. Physicians may consider more aggressive and prompt management in individuals with sepsis and POC serum lactate of 1.6 mmol/L or over.