Recent lactate findings: is repeated serum lactate testing necessary in septic shock patients?

Within the broader category of sepsis, septic shock is a distinct clinical entity characterized by circulatory and metabolic (i.e., cellular) dysfunction; its mortality rate (more than 40%) is higher than that of either hyperlactatemia alone (less than 30% mortality) or patients treated with vasopressors alone (30% mortality) [1]. The clinical criteria of septic shock are a serum lactate level > 2 mmol/L (18 mg/dl) continuing in spite of adequate volume resuscitation and persistent hypotension for which vasopressors are required to maintain a mean arterial pressure ≥ 65 mmHg [1].