title: Pleural fluid lactate in pleural effusion.
abstract: Pleural fluid lactate (PFL) and blood lactate (BL) concentrations were simultaneously measured in samples from 46 patients with pleural effusion. PFL exceeded 6 mmol/l in all 15 patients with pyogenic bacterial pleurisy but in only 5 of the other 31 patients. We have found that a PFL-BL difference greater than or equal to 6 mmol/l has a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 93.8% in detecting pyogenic pleural effusions. Results are available within 1 h of sample collection, so that PFL-BL difference may become a useful aid in the early assessment of pleural effusions.
mesh_terms: D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000150:complications; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004653:Empyema / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism; D005189:False Positive Reactions; D006801:Humans; D007773:Lactates / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D010996:Pleural Effusion / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D010997:Pleural Neoplasms / Q000150:complications; D014396:Tuberculosis, Pleural / Q000150:complications
chemical_list: D007773:Lactates