title: Wound fluid lactate concentration: a helpful marker for diagnosing soft-tissue infection in diabetic foot ulcers? Preliminary findings.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the impact of wound fluid lactate concentration on diagnosing soft-tissue infection in diabetic foot ulcers.
  
  
  METHODS
  Lactate concentration in wound fluid obtained from diabetic foot ulcers was determined using a lactate analyser and compared with clinical examination findings.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall median wound fluid lactate concentration was 21.03 mm (5.58-80.40 mm). Wound lactate levels were significantly higher in infected compared with non-infected diabetic foot ulcers (P=0.001). Non-infected diabetic foot ulcers that healed within 6 months of treatment showed a significantly lower wound fluid lactate concentration at baseline as opposed to those that did not heal (P=0.007).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Non-healing diabetic foot ulcers are characterized by high wound fluid lactate levels. Assessment of wound fluid lactate concentration might be helpful for confirming the suspicion of soft tissue infection, particularly when clinical signs are atypical.
authors.affiliation: Department of General, Visceral and Transplant Surgery, Institute of Clinical and Experimental Transfusion Medicine, University of Tübingen, Hoppe-Seyler-Strasse 3, Tübingen, Germany. markus.loeffler@med.uni-tuebingen.de
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Löffler
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zieker
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Weinreich
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Löb
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Königsrainer
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Symons
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bühler
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Königsrainer
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Northoff
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Beckert
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000671:Amputation, Surgical; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D001826:Body Fluids / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000382:microbiology; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000150:complications / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000382:microbiology; D017719:Diabetic Foot / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D019344:Lactic Acid / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018461:Soft Tissue Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000382:microbiology; D014945:Wound Healing; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000382:microbiology
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D019344:Lactic Acid