Analyze Diet
Equine veterinary journal2005; 37(1); 53-59; doi: 10.2746/0425164054406856

Arterial lactate concentration, hospital survival, sepsis and SIRS in critically ill neonatal foals.

Abstract: Blood lactate concentration has been shown to be a useful clinical indicator in human patients, but has not been formally investigated in critically ill foals. Objective: To investigate the association of blood lactate with hospital survival, markers of cardiovascular status, metabolic acid base status, sepsis and systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS). Methods: A database containing clinical, haematological, plasma biochemical and hospital outcome data on neonatal foals referred to an intensive care unit in 2000-2001 was analysed. Seventy-two foals for which arterial lactate was measured at admission were included in the study. Results: Sixty-one foals had an admission lactate concentration > 2.5 mmol/l. Admission lactate was statistically associated with hospital survival, mean arterial pressure, blood creatinine concentration, bacteraemia, anion gap, lactate concentration at 18-36 h after admission and evidence of SIRS, but not with packed cell volume or heart rate. Lactate at 18-36 h was also associated with survival and evidence of SIRS. Anion gap, base excess, base excess due to unidentified anions (BEua), simplified strong ion gap or bicarbonate correctly classified foals for presence of hyperlactaemia (> 5 mmol/l) in < or = 80% of animals. Conclusions: Admission blood lactate gives important prognostic information. Lactate should be measured rather than assumed from the anion gap, base excess, BEua, simplified strong ion gap or bicarbonate. Conclusions: Blood lactate concentrations at admission are clinically relevant in neonatal foals and warrant further investigation. This should include the clinical value of measuring changes in lactate in response to treatment.
Publication Date: 2005-01-18 PubMed ID: 15651735DOI: 10.2746/0425164054406856Google Scholar: Lookup
The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
  • Journal Article

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

This research investigates the relevance of blood lactate in the survival of critically ill neonatal foals in hospitals. The study aims to explore if a correlation exists between blood lactate concentration and conditions such as sepsis and systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS). Its results suggest that checking foal’s blood lactate level upon admission to a hospital could supply essential prognostic information.

Objective and Methods

  • The primary aim of this study was to analyze the relationship between blood lactate and foal hospital survival, markers of cardiovascular status (like mean arterial pressure and heart rate), metabolic acid base status, sepsis, and systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS).
  • The researchers used data from a database consisting of clinical, haematological, plasma biochemical and hospital outcome details regarding neonatal foals admitted to an intensive care unit during the years 2000-2001.
  • The researchers included 72 foals in their study, all of which had arterial lactate measured upon admission.

Results

  • Out of the chosen subjects, 61 foals had an admission lactate concentration greater than 2.5 mmol/l.
  • The study found a statistical relationship between lactate concentration upon admission and factors such as hospital survival, mean arterial pressure, blood creatinine concentration, bacteraemia, anion gap, lactate concentration 18-36 hours after admission, and evidence of SIRS.
  • Factors like heart rate or packed cell volume, however, showed no substantial relationship with foals’ lactate concentration level upon admission.
  • Lactate measured between the 18-36 hour period after admission also showed significant association with hospital survival and evidence of SIRS.
  • Other factors such as anion gap, base excess, base excess due to unidentified anions (BEua), simplified strong ion gap or bicarbonate could correctly classify foals for presence of hyperlactaemia in 80% or fewer cases.

Conclusions

  • The researchers concluded that measuring blood lactate at admission provides important prognostic information about the condition and survival probabilities of foals.
  • It was deduced that lactate should be directly measured instead of assumed from other factors such as anion gap, base excess, BEua, simplified strong ion gap or bicarbonate.
  • Finally, the researchers suggested that blood lactate concentration upon hospital admission is clinically relevant for neonatal foals and deserves further research, including examination of the clinical benefits of monitoring changes in lactate concentration in response to treatment.

Cite This Article

APA
Corley KT, Donaldson LL, Furr MO. (2005). Arterial lactate concentration, hospital survival, sepsis and SIRS in critically ill neonatal foals. Equine Vet J, 37(1), 53-59. https://doi.org/10.2746/0425164054406856

Publication

ISSN: 0425-1644
NlmUniqueID: 0173320
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 37
Issue: 1
Pages: 53-59

Researcher Affiliations

Corley, K T T
  • Equine Referral Hospital, Royal Veterinary College, North Mymms, Hertfordshire AL9 7TA, UK.
Donaldson, L L
    Furr, M O

      MeSH Terms

      • Acid-Base Equilibrium
      • Animals
      • Animals, Newborn
      • Blood Gas Analysis / veterinary
      • Critical Illness
      • Horse Diseases / blood
      • Horse Diseases / diagnosis
      • Horse Diseases / mortality
      • Horses
      • Lactic Acid / blood
      • Predictive Value of Tests
      • Sepsis / blood
      • Sepsis / diagnosis
      • Sepsis / mortality
      • Sepsis / veterinary
      • Severity of Illness Index
      • Survival Analysis
      • Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome / blood
      • Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome / diagnosis
      • Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome / mortality
      • Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome / veterinary
      • Time Factors

      Citations

      This article has been cited 27 times.
      1. Yang L, Teng S, Ma Z, Han C, Qian W. Multi-omics machine learning identifies diagnostic gene signatures and functionally supports PRKACB involvement in macrophage inflammatory responses in sepsis. Front Immunol 2025;16:1611348.
        doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2025.1611348pubmed: 41624837google scholar: lookup
      2. Chen LT, Wesdorp E, Jager M, Siegers EW, Theelen MJP, Besselink N, Vermeulen C, Zomer AL, Broens EM, Wagenaar JA, de Ridder J. Bacterial cell-free DNA profiling reveals the co-elevation of multiple bacteria in newborn foals with suspected sepsis. iScience 2025 Dec 19;28(12):114005.
        doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2025.114005pubmed: 41476946google scholar: lookup
      3. Guo P, Liu Y, Huang X, Zeng Y, Cai Z, Tu G. Relationship between anion gap and 28-day all-cause mortality in patients with acute pulmonary edema: A retrospective analysis of the MIMIC-IV database. PLoS One 2025;20(9):e0333293.
        doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0333293pubmed: 41004436google scholar: lookup
      4. Choi Y, Jin P, Lee S, Song Y, Tay RY, Kim G, Yoo J, Han H, Yeom J, Cho JH, Kim DH, Gao W. All-printed chip-less wearable neuromorphic system for multimodal physicochemical health monitoring. Nat Commun 2025 Jul 1;16(1):5689.
        doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-60854-7pubmed: 40593594google scholar: lookup
      5. Wilkins PA, Wong D, Slovis NM, Collins N, Barr BS, MacKenzie C, De Solis CN, Castagnetti C, Mariella J, Burns T, Perkins G, Delvescovo B, Sanchez LC, Kemper AM, Magdesian KG, Bedenice D, Taylor SD, Gold J, Dunkel B, Pranzo G, Constable PD. The Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome and Predictors of Infection and Mortality in 1068 Critically Ill Newborn Foals. J Vet Intern Med 2025 Mar-Apr;39(2):e70004.
        doi: 10.1111/jvim.70004pubmed: 40091577google scholar: lookup
      6. Martin E, Sarkan K, Viall A, Hostetter S, Epstein K. Clinicopathologic Parameters of Peritoneal Fluid as Predictors of Gastrointestinal Lesions, Complications, and Outcomes in Equine Colic Patients: A Retrospective Study. Animals (Basel) 2024 Dec 24;15(1).
        doi: 10.3390/ani15010012pubmed: 39794955google scholar: lookup
      7. Castelain DL, Dufourni A, Pas ML, Bokma J, de Bruijn E, Paulussen E, Lefère L, van Loon G, Pardon B. Retrospective cohort study on diseases and risk factors associated with death in hospitalized neonatal foals. J Vet Intern Med 2025 Jan-Feb;39(1):e17269.
        doi: 10.1111/jvim.17269pubmed: 39690128google scholar: lookup
      8. Scalco R, de Oliveira GN, da Rosa Curcio B, Wooten M, Magdesian KG, Hidai ST, Pandit P, Aleman M. Red blood cell distribution width to platelet ratio in neonatal foals with sepsis. J Vet Intern Med 2023 Jul-Aug;37(4):1552-1560.
        doi: 10.1111/jvim.16793pubmed: 37306395google scholar: lookup
      9. Johnson K, Peterson J, Kopper J, Dembek K. The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis response to ovine corticotropin-releasing-hormone stimulation tests in healthy and hospitalized foals. J Vet Intern Med 2023 Jan;37(1):292-301.
        doi: 10.1111/jvim.16604pubmed: 36651191google scholar: lookup
      10. Martín-Cuervo M, Gracia-Calvo LA, Macías-García B, Ezquerra LJ, Barrera R. Evaluation of Eosinopenia as a SIRS Biomarker in Critically Ill Horses. Animals (Basel) 2022 Dec 15;12(24).
        doi: 10.3390/ani12243547pubmed: 36552467google scholar: lookup
      11. Stefanovski D, Wilkins PA, Boston RC. Modeling Challenge Data to Quantify Endogenous Lactate Production. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2021;12:656054.
        doi: 10.3389/fendo.2021.656054pubmed: 34267726google scholar: lookup
      12. Valverde A. Fluid Resuscitation for Refractory Hypotension. Front Vet Sci 2021;8:621696.
        doi: 10.3389/fvets.2021.621696pubmed: 33778035google scholar: lookup
      13. Furr M, McKenzie H 3rd. Factors associated with the risk of positive blood culture in neonatal foals presented to a referral center (2000-2014). J Vet Intern Med 2020 Nov;34(6):2738-2750.
        doi: 10.1111/jvim.15923pubmed: 33044020google scholar: lookup
      14. Taylor S. A review of equine sepsis. Equine Vet Educ 2015 Feb;27(2):99-109.
        doi: 10.1111/eve.12290pubmed: 32313390google scholar: lookup
      15. Corley KTT. Metabolic disorders in foals. Equine Vet Educ 2012 Aug;24(8):392-395.
      16. Sanmartí J, Armengou L, Viu J, Alguacil E, Civit S, Ríos J, Jose-Cunilleras E. Plasma iron concentrations and systemic inflammatory response syndrome in neonatal foals. J Vet Intern Med 2020 May;34(3):1325-1331.
        doi: 10.1111/jvim.15770pubmed: 32297679google scholar: lookup
      17. Sheats MK. A Comparative Review of Equine SIRS, Sepsis, and Neutrophils. Front Vet Sci 2019;6:69.
        doi: 10.3389/fvets.2019.00069pubmed: 30931316google scholar: lookup
      18. Wong DM, Ruby RE, Dembek KA, Barr BS, Reuss SM, Magdesian KG, Olsen E, Burns T, Slovis NM, Wilkins PA. Evaluation of updated sepsis scoring systems and systemic inflammatory response syndrome criteria and their association with sepsis in equine neonates. J Vet Intern Med 2018 May;32(3):1185-1193.
        doi: 10.1111/jvim.15087pubmed: 29582480google scholar: lookup
      19. Cole GC, Tordiffe ASW, Steenkamp G. Assessment of a portable lactate meter for field use in the white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum). Onderstepoort J Vet Res 2017 Nov 10;84(1):e1-e10.
        doi: 10.4102/ojvr.v84i1.1399pubmed: 29227129google scholar: lookup
      20. Trefz FM, Lorenz I, Lorch A, Constable PD. Clinical signs, profound acidemia, hypoglycemia, and hypernatremia are predictive of mortality in 1,400 critically ill neonatal calves with diarrhea. PLoS One 2017;12(8):e0182938.
        doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0182938pubmed: 28817693google scholar: lookup
      21. Mizen K, Woodman J, Boysen SR, Wagg C, Greco-Otto P, Léguillette R, Roy MF. Effect of Dexamethasone on Resting Blood Lactate Concentrations in Horses. J Vet Intern Med 2017 Jan;31(1):164-169.
        doi: 10.1111/jvim.14630pubmed: 28019037google scholar: lookup
      22. Gomez DE, Biermann NM, Sanchez LC. Physicochemical Approach to Determine the Mechanism for Acid-Base Disorders in 793 Hospitalized Foals. J Vet Intern Med 2015 Sep-Oct;29(5):1395-402.
        doi: 10.1111/jvim.13590pubmed: 26256847google scholar: lookup
      23. Zabrecky KA, Slovis NM, Constable PD, Taylor SD. Plasma C-reactive protein and haptoglobin concentrations in critically ill neonatal foals. J Vet Intern Med 2015 Mar-Apr;29(2):673-7.
        doi: 10.1111/jvim.12568pubmed: 25818221google scholar: lookup
      24. Dembek KA, Hurcombe SD, Frazer ML, Morresey PR, Toribio RE. Development of a likelihood of survival scoring system for hospitalized equine neonates using generalized boosted regression modeling. PLoS One 2014;9(10):e109212.
        doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0109212pubmed: 25295600google scholar: lookup
      25. Toth B, Slovis NM, Constable PD, Taylor SD. Plasma adrenomedullin concentrations in critically ill neonatal foals. J Vet Intern Med 2014 Jul-Aug;28(4):1294-300.
        doi: 10.1111/jvim.12358pubmed: 24773029google scholar: lookup
      26. Hagman R, Reezigt BJ, Bergström Ledin H, Karlstam E. Blood lactate levels in 31 female dogs with pyometra. Acta Vet Scand 2009 Jan 9;51(1):2.
        doi: 10.1186/1751-0147-51-2pubmed: 19134167google scholar: lookup
      27. Castagnetti C, Veronesi MC. Prognostic factors in the sick neonatal foal. Vet Res Commun 2008 Sep;32 Suppl 1:S87-91.
        doi: 10.1007/s11259-008-9097-zpubmed: 18686000google scholar: lookup