Intensive care medicine
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Intensive care medicine · Jan 1996
Blood pressure and arterial lactate level are early indicators of short-term survival in human septic shock.
To identify early prognostic markers of septic shock among catheterization-derived hemodynamic and metabolic data. ⋯ Changes in mean arterial pressure and arterial blood lactate within the first 24 h of treatment are strong prognostic indicators of short-term survival in patients with septic shock. After 24 h of treatment, maintenance of a mean blood pressure equal to or greater than 85 mmHg correlates with survival at day 10. Data suggest that early reductions in both cardiac function and vascular tone play a determining role in the hypotension observed in fatalities. Persistence of hyperlactatemia in hypotensive patients bodes particularly ill. Blood pressure and lactate level are simple bedside parameters that can enable the clinician to identify patients with a high risk of mortality.