Hyperlactatemia and serial lactate measurements in sick cats.
OBJECTIVE
To document the incidence of hyperlactatemia in sick cats hospitalized for emergency care and to evaluate the prognostic utility of serial lactate measurements in cats with hyperlactatemia.


METHODS
Prospective observational study over a 10-month period (July 2010-May 2011).


METHODS
Private veterinary referral center with 24-hour hospital care.


METHODS
One hundred and twenty-three privately owned cats admitted to a private referral center.


METHODS
Blood was collected by direct venipuncture from the jugular or medial saphenous vein at the time of hospital admission and at 6 and 24 hours following admission.


RESULTS
The median plasma lactate concentration for all cats at admission (T0) was 1.89 mmol/L (17.0 mg/dL) (range: 0.3-12.48). Twenty-three percent (28/123) of cats admitted were hyperlactatemic (ie, >2.87 mmol/L; >25.86 mg/dL) upon admission. Lactate concentration at presentation and serial lactate measurements were not found to be related with survival to discharge or correlated with duration of hospitalization. The overall survival rate of all cats in this study was 81%.


CONCLUSIONS
This study demonstrated that the incidence of hyperlactatemia in sick cats being admitted for hospitalization in a private referral center was 23%, and that lactate concentration on admission and serial lactate measurements over time were not prognostic in this group of hospitalized cats. Future studies are needed to evaluate the prognostic utility of lactate and serial lactate measurements in specific disease states and in a larger population of critically ill cats.
Emergency and Critical Care Service, New England Animal Medical Center, 595 West Center Street, West Bridgewater, MA, 02379.
Lesleigh A
LA
Redavid
Section of Emergency and Critical Care, Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, 200 Westboro Road, North Grafton, MA, 01536.
Claire R
CR
Sharp
Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine, 1008 W. Hazelwood Drive, Urbana, IL, 61802.
Mark A
MA
Mitchell
Emergency and Critical Care Service, New England Animal Medical Center, 595 West Center Street, West Bridgewater, MA, 02379.
Nicole F
NF
Beckel
D000818:Animals; D002371:Cat Diseases / Q000097:blood* / Q000401:mortality; D002415:Cats; D016638:Critical Illness; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization; D065906:Hyperlactatemia / Q000097:blood / Q000662:veterinary*; D019344:Lactic Acid / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008404:Massachusetts; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
D019344:Lactic Acid
biomarker; monitoring; perfusion; resuscitation; shock