Bicarbonate therapy in the treatment of septic shock: a second look

The use of supplemental sodium bicarbonate for the treatment of patients with septic shock and elevated blood lactate levels remains a controversial therapy. We conducted a retrospective study between March 2004 and February 2009 of 36 consecutive patients diagnosed with septic shock who received continuous infusion of bicarbonate therapy. A control group was matched 1:1 for age, site of infection, and predicted mortality by APACHE II. All patients were managed according to standard protocols. The median time until reversal of shock did not achieve statistical significance between the bicarbonate group (44.5 h [95% confidence interval [CI] 34-54] and the control group (55.0 h [95% CI 39-60] (p = 0.09). The median time to liberation of mechanical ventilation was significantly reduced in the bicarbonate group (10 days [95% CI 5.0-13.0] compared to the control group (14 days [95% CI 9.0-19.0], p = 0.02). The length of intensive care unit (ICU) stay was also shorter in the surviving patients who received bicarbonate compared to controls (median 11.5 days (95% CI 6.0-16.0) vs. 16.0 days (95% CI 13.5-19.0), respectively; p = 0.01). However, there was no difference in 28-day mortality between the two study groups (28%; 95% CI 14-45% vs. 33%; 95% CI 19-51%, respectively; p = 0.79). Infusion of sodium bicarbonate in septic patients with arterial hyperlactatemia may facilitate weaning from mechanical ventilation and reduce length of ICU stay.