Serum Lactate and Acute Mesenteric Ischemia: An Observational, Controlled Multicenter Study

Abstract Purpose Early diagnosis of acute mesenteric ischemia (AMI) is key to survival but remains extremely difficult, as the symptoms are vague and non-specific. Although international guidelines recommend that serum lactate is not used for AMI diagnosis, this parameter is still specifically taken into account for the diagnosis and prognosis of AMI. Our hypothesis was that serum lactate levels cannot be used to diagnose AMI or predict its outcome. Methods This was an ancillary, retrospective, observational, controlled multicenter study, approved by an Ethics Committee. Patients with AMI at adult intensive care unit (ICU) admission were included (AMI group) and matched to ICU patients without AMI (control group). Matching criteria were center, period, gender, age, and severity. Serum lactate levels were measured on day 0 (D0) and day 1 (D1) and the lactate difference (D0-D1) was calculated. Results Two hundred and seventy-four patients were included. Serum lactate levels were elevated in both groups at D0 and D1 but there was no significant difference between groups at D0 (2.7 [1.3; 5.5] vs 3.4 [1.9; 6.1] mmol/L; p = 0.284), D1 (1.8 [1.2; 3.1] vs 2.4 [1.5; 4.6] mmol/L, p = 0.547; respectively for control and AMI groups) or D0-D1. Thus, the performance of serum lactate for AMI diagnosis was poor. Concerning AMI outcome, serum lactate levels predicted ICU death in both groups at D0 and D1. Conclusions no specific association was observed between serum lactate levels and AMI. Serum lactate should not be used for the diagnosis of AMI but may help assess disease severity.