Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Lactate as a diagnostic test for septic peritoneal effusions in dogs and cats.
- Journal:
- Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association
- Year:
- 2004
- Authors:
- Levin, Garrett M et al.
- Affiliation:
- Department of Surgery · United States
Plain-English summary
Researchers looked at lactate levels in the fluid from the abdomen of dogs and cats to see if it could help identify infections in that area. They found that all dogs with infected abdominal fluid had a lactate level higher than 2.5 mmol/L, and this level was greater than the lactate level in their blood. This method was very effective in dogs, with a 95% accuracy rate for identifying infections, but it did not work well for cats. Overall, while this test is promising for dogs, it is not reliable for diagnosing infections in cats.
Abstract
Lactate concentration in peritoneal fluid was evaluated and compared to blood lactate concentration in dogs and cats with septic and nonseptic abdominal effusions. All dogs with septic effusions had a peritoneal fluid lactate concentration >2.5 mmol/L and a peritoneal fluid lactate concentration higher than blood lactate, resulting in a negative blood to fluid lactate difference. In dogs, the diagnostic accuracy of the peritoneal fluid lactate concentration and the blood to fluid lactate difference in differentiating septic peritoneal effusion was 95% and 90%, respectively. Peritoneal fluid lactate concentration and blood to fluid lactate difference were not accurate tests for detecting septic peritoneal effusions in cats.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15347615/