Blood lactate measurement is now an established element of clinical practice. However, the usual approach of occasional measurement offers only a ‘snapshot’ of how the patient is at the time. Outlining the aims of the study, Steve explains that the authors were interested in whether there was evidence of additional benefits of using multiple (serial) measurements of blood lactate in patients with a wide range of conditions. Specialists from multiple disciplines — including anaesthesiology, intensive care, trauma, emergency medicine, obstetrics, paediatrics, and general hospital medicine — examined evidence from their respective fields of expertise to assess the benefits of serial lactate measurement across a range of settings and conditions.
This wide-ranging review found strong evidence across diverse patient groups that using serial blood lactate measurements improved patient outcome and experience. The authors also highlight advances in wearable lactate sensors, and their potential integration with electronic patient records, as a promising way to harness this impact on a larger scale. As Steve observes:
“We hope that this study will support a more widespread utilisation of serial lactate measurements in the NHS with the established benefits for our patients.”