Serum lactate level is a very important marker in patients with sepsis (should be less than 2). More than the initial value the response to resuscitation is important if lactate level is not coming down with resuscitation we need to intervene aggressively. It should be measured every six hourly in patients with sepsis until the lactate value has clearly fallen. While guidelines promote normalization of lactate, only lactate-guided resuscitation has not been convincingly associated with improved outcomes.
The lactate clearance is defined by the equation [(initial lactate – lactate >2 hours later)/initial lactate] x 100. The lactate clearance and interval change in lactate over the first 12 hours of resuscitation have been evaluated as a potential marker for effective resuscitation. One meta-analysis of five low-quality trials reported that lactate–guided resuscitation resulted in a…
