title: Metabolic acid-base status in critically ill patients: is standard base excess correlated with serum lactate level?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To correlate standard base excess (SBE) with serum lactate level and demonstrate the independent prognostic significance of each one.
  
  
  METHODS
  In a retrospective study, we retrieved data from 333 patients of our prospectively collected database of 7-bed medical intensive care unit of a 1800-bed university hospital.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results have shown a poor correlation between SBE and lactate, r = - 0.358, p < 0.001, and an independent prognostic significance of each one when analyzed concomitantly, odds ratio (95% Confidence interval) = 0.996 (0.992 - 0.999) to standard base excess and 1.000 (1.000 - 1.002) to lactate at entrance; and odds ratio (95% Confidence interval ) = 0.990 (0.985 - 0.994) to standard base excess and 1.003 (1.001 - 1.005) to lactate after 24 hours. The accuracy of standard base excess was close to lactate to determine in-intensive care unit death.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The lactic component of the metabolic acidosis is not the major determinant of standard base excess. Serum lactate and SBE are independent outcome predictors in critically ill patients.
authors.affiliation: Medical Intensive Care Unit, Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Danilo Teixeira
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Noritomi
authors.forename: Ricardo Reis
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Sanga
authors.affiliation: Medical Intensive Care Unit, Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: André Carlos Kajdaksi-Balla
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Amaral
authors.affiliation: Medical Intensive Care Unit, Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marcelo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Park