Physiopathology, importance and usefulness of lactate in patients with sepsis

Abstract

Worldwide, sepsis is acknowledged as a significant cause of hospital-associated mortality. There is an increasing interest in identifying the group of patients that can benefit more from an early and aggressive therapy. Lactate is an important cellular metabolite, traditionally interpreted as a marker of low oxygen delivery to tissues during sepsis. Given recent investigations about the physiology of lactate production, and with the understanding of sepsis as a systemic response, interpretation of a high lactate level may include various processes, not all of them harmful. In this review, the different cellular processes that may explain high lactate levels in sepsis are described. Its current clinical usefulness and proposals for future interpretation in the reanimation of patients with sepsis are analyzed.