title: Serum lactates correlate with mortality after operations for complex congenital heart disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The objective of this study was to determine whether serum lactate levels predict mortality in children less than 1 year of age who have undergone cardiopulmonary bypass and operations for complex congenital heart disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  The initial lactate, maximum lactate, and lactate levels at 4 to 6 hours after operation were analyzed for each of 48 children less than 12 months of age who underwent cardiopulmonary bypass.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Data were analyzed for the 6 patients who died and the 42 patients who survived. For the patients who died, the initial postoperative serum lactate, maximum lactate, and 4- to 6-hour lactate levels were significantly higher than those in the patients who survived. All patients with an initial lactate less than 7 mmol/L, a maximum lactate less than 9 mmol/L, or a 4- to 6-hour lactate level less than 4 mmol/L survived to hospital discharge.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Serum lactate levels may be a useful predictor of mortality in children less than 1 year of age who have undergone cardiopulmonary bypass. An elevation in serum lactate level after a complex operation for congenital heart disease should be taken as a serious indicator of potential mortality.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Duke Children's Hospital, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina 27710, USA. cheif002@mc.duke.edu
authors.forename: I M
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Cheifetz
authors.forename: F H
authors.initials: FH
authors.lastname: Kern
authors.forename: S R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Schulman
authors.forename: W J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Greeley
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Ungerleider
authors.forename: J N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Meliones
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D002315:Cardiopulmonary Bypass; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005544:Forecasting; D006324:Heart Arrest, Induced; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D007036:Hypothermia, Induced; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007773:Lactates / Q000097:blood*; D010351:Patient Discharge; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D015996:Survival Rate; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D007773:Lactates