We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress hp
Sign In
Advertise with Us
LGC Clinical Diagnostics

Download Mobile App




Capillary and Venous Lactate Compared in ED Patients

By LabMedica International staff writers
Posted on 16 Apr 2019
Print article
Image: The Automatic QC RAPID Systems RAPIDPoint 500 blood gas analyzer (Photo courtesy of Siemens Healthcare).
Image: The Automatic QC RAPID Systems RAPIDPoint 500 blood gas analyzer (Photo courtesy of Siemens Healthcare).
Elevated lactate levels are a common finding in acutely unwell patients. Blood lactate level is a good predictor of patient outcome and high lactate levels are associated with high morbidity and mortality. Lactate may be detected and measured in all blood samples: arterial, venous and capillary.

Currently, blood lactate can be measured formally in the laboratory, using blood gas analyzers or with handheld devices. Strong correlations have been shown between blood lactate levels in samples analyzed in the central laboratory, by blood gas analyzers and handheld devices. Capillary blood lactate testing with handheld analyzers has great advantages to reduce the time needed for clinical decisions, and for extended use in the prehospital setting.

Emergency department (ED) personnel at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (Shatin, Hong Kong) and their colleagues carried out a prospective observational study of patients presenting to the ED of Prince of Wales Hospital (Shatin, Hong Kong) and 240 patients (mean age 69.9 years) were recruited. Venous and capillary blood samples were collected for lactate analysis. Venous blood samples (approximate 1 mL) were collected by venipuncture while capillary blood samples were collected by finger-prick with a disposable lancet.

Venous lactate levels were measured by blood gas analyzer the Siemens Automatic QC RAPID Systems RAPIDPoint 500 (VL-Ref) served as the reference standard. Capillary lactate levels were immediately analyzed by two handheld lactate analyzers: Nova StatStrip Xpress Lactate Meter (CL-Nova) and Lactate Scout+ (CL-Scout). Venous lactate levels were also measured on the two handheld lactate analyzers. All lactate measurements were performed within 15 minutes after obtaining the venous sample.

The scientists reported that the results of VL-Ref ranged from 0.70 to 5.38 mmol/L (mean of 1.96 mmol/L). Regarding capillary lactate measurements, the bias (mean difference) between VL-Ref and CL-Scout+ was −0.22 with 95% limits of agreement (LOA) of −2.17 to 1.73 mmol/L and the bias between VL-Ref and CL-Nova was 0.46, with LOA of −1.08 to 2.00 mmol/L. For venous lactate, results showed the bias between VL-Ref and VL-Scout+ were 0.22 with LOA being −0.46 to 0.90 mmol/L, and the bias between VL-Ref and VL-Nova was 0.83 mmol/L with LOA −0.01 to 1.66 mmol/L.

The author concluded that their study shows poor agreement between capillary lactate and reference values. The study does not support the clinical utility of capillary lactate point-of-care testing (POCT). However, venous lactate measured by Scout+ handheld analyzer may have potential for screening patients who may need further testing. The study was published on April 3, 2019, in the journal BMJ OPEN.

Related Links:
Chinese University of Hong Kong
Prince of Wales Hospital

Gold Member
Fully Automated Cell Density/Viability Analyzer
BioProfile FAST CDV
Verification Panels for Assay Development & QC
Seroconversion Panels
New
Biological Indicator Vials
BI-O.K.
New
Silver Member
Total Hemoglobin Monitoring System
GREENCARE Hb

Print article

Channels

Immunology

view channel
Image: The cancer stem cell test can accurately choose more effective treatments (Photo courtesy of University of Cincinnati)

Stem Cell Test Predicts Treatment Outcome for Patients with Platinum-Resistant Ovarian Cancer

Epithelial ovarian cancer frequently responds to chemotherapy initially, but eventually, the tumor develops resistance to the therapy, leading to regrowth. This resistance is partially due to the activation... Read more

Microbiology

view channel
Image: The lab-in-tube assay could improve TB diagnoses in rural or resource-limited areas (Photo courtesy of Kenny Lass/Tulane University)

Handheld Device Delivers Low-Cost TB Results in Less Than One Hour

Tuberculosis (TB) remains the deadliest infectious disease globally, affecting an estimated 10 million people annually. In 2021, about 4.2 million TB cases went undiagnosed or unreported, mainly due to... Read more

Pathology

view channel
Image: The ready-to-use DUB enzyme assay kits accelerate routine DUB activity assays without compromising data quality (Photo courtesy of Adobe Stock)

Sensitive and Specific DUB Enzyme Assay Kits Require Minimal Setup Without Substrate Preparation

Ubiquitination and deubiquitination are two important physiological processes in the ubiquitin-proteasome system, responsible for protein degradation in cells. Deubiquitinating (DUB) enzymes contain around... Read more

Technology

view channel
Image: The HIV-1 self-testing chip will be capable of selectively detecting HIV in whole blood samples (Photo courtesy of Shutterstock)

Disposable Microchip Technology Could Selectively Detect HIV in Whole Blood Samples

As of the end of 2023, approximately 40 million people globally were living with HIV, and around 630,000 individuals died from AIDS-related illnesses that same year. Despite a substantial decline in deaths... Read more

Industry

view channel
Image: The collaboration aims to leverage Oxford Nanopore\'s sequencing platform and Cepheid\'s GeneXpert system to advance the field of sequencing for infectious diseases (Photo courtesy of Cepheid)

Cepheid and Oxford Nanopore Technologies Partner on Advancing Automated Sequencing-Based Solutions

Cepheid (Sunnyvale, CA, USA), a leading molecular diagnostics company, and Oxford Nanopore Technologies (Oxford, UK), the company behind a new generation of sequencing-based molecular analysis technologies,... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2025 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.