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Updated: Aug 12, 2026
A Piglet Model of Neonatal Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy
Published on: May 16, 2015
Elevated serum lactate correlates with intracranial hemorrhage in neonates treated with extracorporeal life support
E N Grayck1, J N Meliones, F H Kern
1Department of Pediatrics, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA.
Objectives:
To correlate the initial and maximal lactate levels with the occurrence of intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) and survival in patients treated with extracorporeal life support (ECLS).
Design:
Retrospective chart review.
Setting:
Pediatric intensive care unit.
Patients:
Eighty-two neonatal patients placed on ECLS for respiratory failure due to sepsis, meconium aspiration, or persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn.
Measurements:
The initial lactate level measured within 6 hours of initiating ECLS and the maximal lactate level measured throughout the ECLS course were collected. Lactate levels were described as mean lactate +/- SE (mM). Head ultrasound reports and survival were reviewed. Platelet counts and activated clotting times (ACTs) were examined.
Results:
The mean initial and maximal lactate levels were higher in ECLS patients who developed ICH (initial: 10 +/- 1.7 mM vs 6.4 +/- 0.8 mM, p = .05 and maximal: 12.4 +/- 2.5 mM vs 7.9 +/- 0.8 mM, p = .04). Initial and maximal lactate levels were also elevated in nonsurvivors (initial: 11.7 +/- 3 mM vs 6.4 +/- 0.7 mM, p = .01 and maximal: 14.8 +/- 3.3 mM vs 7.8 +/- 0.8 mM, P < .01). Platelet counts and ACT did not differ in patients with and without ICH.
Conclusions:
Lactate is a useful marker for the development of ICH in ECLS patients. In addition, elevated lactates during ECLS identify a subgroup of patients with poor outcome. Prospective studies are needed to determine whether the incorporation of this information into pre-ECLS and ECLS management will decrease the occurrence of ICH and improve survival.
