Point-of-care lactate testing in emergency room.

Lactate is a product of anaerobic metabolism, which can be used to detect the critically ill. Rapid recognition, early appropriate treatment and control of treatment success are paramount in that population. Lactate levels need to be available as soon as possible if they are to be of assistance at the bedside. Point-of-care analyzers enable rapid determination of lactate. The role of point-of-care lactate analyzers in the treatment of the critically ill, different analysis techniques and limitations of point-of-care lactate analyzers are presented. The use of point-of-care lactate analyzers is demonstrated in two cases of patients with sepsis. The first patient is a 73-year-old female, where point-of-care lactate was determined immediately. Septic shock with multi-organ failure developed. She was successfully treated and discharged after 14 days to home care. The second patient is a 62-year old male, where elevated lactate was detected after three hours. The patient died after a total of 5 months of treatment in the intensive care unit. Lactate can be an important tool in early recognition and treatment of the critically ill.