OBJECTIVETo investigate the value of blood lactic acid (BLA) in evaluating disease severity and prognosis in children with sepsis.

METHODSA total of 484 children with sepsis were enrolled and divided into common sepsis group (n=310), severe sepsis group (n=105), and septic shock group (n=69). BLA level was measured before treatment, and the results of BLA re-examination after early fluid resuscitation were collected for children with septic shock and a BLA level of >2 mmol/L.

RESULTSThe BLA level increased with the increasing severity of sepsis. The analysis of the receiver operating characteristic curve showed that the cut-off value of BLA for the diagnosis of septic shock was 2.25 mmol/L, with a sensitivity of 82.6% and a specificity of 79.8%. The fatality rates in the BLA ≤1 mmol/L, BLA 1.1-2 mmol/L, BLA 2.1-4 mmol/L, and BLA >4 mmol/L groups were 8.5%, 9.4%, 27.2%, and 67.6%, respectively, and the risk of death in the BLA >4 mmol/L group was 22.4 times that in the BLA ≤1 mmol/L group. In children with septic shock who had a BLA level of >2 mmol/L before treatment and whose BLA levels were ≤2 mmol/L or >2 mmol/L after resuscitation, the fatality rates were 33.3% and 69.2%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONSBLA can be used to evaluate disease severity and prognosis in children with sepsis, and a BLA level of 2.25 mmol/L has a high value in diagnosing septic shock. Early resuscitation helps BLA level return to normal and can improve the prognosis of children with septic shock.