Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Using quick organ failure score and lactate to assess critically ill
By Ortolani, J M & Bellis, T J·Published in The Journal of small animal practice·2021·BluePearl Specialty and Emergency Pet Hospital, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Evaluation of the quick sequential organ failure assessment score plus lactate in critically ill dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of critically ill dogs in a veterinary ICU were assessed using a scoring system to evaluate their risk of survival based on their breathing rate, blood pressure, and mental state. Researchers also measured lactate levels in the dogs' blood to see if this would improve predictions about their chances of recovery. While the scoring system alone didn't effectively predict survival, higher lactate levels did help distinguish between dogs that survived and those that didn't. This suggests that monitoring lactate levels could be useful in managing critically ill dogs.
People also search for: dog ICU care · high lactate levels in dogs · dog breathing problems treatment
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: To apply the quick sequential organ failure assessment (qSOFA) score to dogs admitted to a veterinary ICU, and evaluate whether the addition of lactate increased the predictive ability of the score. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A quick sequential organ failure assessment score of 0, 1, 2, or 3 was assigned to each dog based on the following criteria: respiratory rate >22 breaths per minute, altered mentation, systolic blood pressure <100 mmHg. Lactate was added to quick sequential organ failure assessment in an LqSOFA model and assigned to each patient. Disease processes evaluated included sepsis, congestive heart failure, pneumonia and pancreatitis. RESULTS: Two hundred and sixty-seven client-owned dogs met the inclusion criteria. There was no significant difference in quick sequential organ failure assessment score between survivors and non-survivors. The use of lactate >3, 4, and 5 mmol/L incorporated into the quick sequential organ failure assessment score (L3qSOFA, L4qSOFA, L5qSOFA) distinguished between survival and non-survival (AUC=0.62; AUC=0.64; AUC=0.62, respectively). Lactate alone distinguished between survival and non-survival (AUC=0.63). Lactate concentration was significantly lower in survivors. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: In this study, quick sequential organ failure assessment was not able to predict survival in a general population of critically ill patients. The addition of lactate to the quick sequential organ failure assessment score slightly increased the predictive ability of the score.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34110024/