Effect of time until sample analysis on lactate in dogs with shock

Area of Science:

• Veterinary diagnostics
• Clinical pathology

Background:

• Elevated lactate concentrations in dogs can indicate hypoperfusion and serve as a prognostic indicator.
• Delayed sample analysis in busy emergency services may affect lactate measurements.
• The impact of storage time on lactate levels in sick dogs is not well-defined.

Purpose of the Study:

• To prospectively evaluate the effect of room temperature storage on lactate measurements in dogs presenting to an emergency service.
• To determine the time course of lactate concentration changes in canine blood samples.

Main Methods:

• Prospective observational study involving 45 dogs presenting to an emergency service.
• Lactate concentrations were measured using the NOVA Lactate Plus analyzer at six time points after storage at room temperature.
• Statistical analysis included a Friedman test and Wilcoxon rank test with Bonferroni correction.

Main Results:

• The NOVA Lactate Plus demonstrated good agreement with a table-top analyzer (R² = 0.98).
• Statistically significant increases in lactate concentrations were observed at all time points compared to baseline (P = .008).
• Lactate concentrations increased significantly in samples stored at room temperature as early as 7.5 minutes.

Conclusions:

• Room temperature storage of canine blood samples leads to rapid and significant increases in lactate concentrations.
• The percentage increase in lactate over 90 minutes was higher in dogs with lower initial lactate levels.
• These findings highlight the critical need for prompt sample analysis in veterinary emergency settings to ensure accurate prognostic indicators.