Assessment of the lactate biosensor methodology

Area of Science:

• Clinical Chemistry
• Biomedical Engineering
• Medical Diagnostics

Background:

• Rapid lactate determination is crucial for managing clinical emergencies like shock, respiratory failure, and critical illness.
• Traditional photometric lactate assays are time-consuming, delaying critical patient management decisions.
• Point-of-care lactate biosensors offer a faster alternative for timely clinical intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the accuracy and reliability of two commercial lactate biosensors compared to a reference enzymatic method.
• To assess the performance of lactate biosensors using both whole blood and plasma samples.
• To investigate the influence of haematocrit and total protein levels on lactate measurements.

Main Methods:

• Lactate levels were measured in 71 heparinized arterial blood samples from intensive care unit patients and exercise test subjects.
• Two biosensors (Ciba-Corning 865, Yellow Springs) and a Sigma enzymatic method were used for comparison.
• Measurements were performed on both whole blood and centrifuged plasma samples, with duplicate testing.

Main Results:

• Both biosensors provided satisfactory lactate measurements in plasma samples.
• The Ciba-Corning biosensor yielded accurate results for whole blood lactate.
• The Yellow Springs biosensor significantly underestimated whole blood lactate, an effect corrected by a haematocrit-based factor.

Conclusions:

• Lactate biosensors provide rapid, valuable clinical data, especially for critically ill patients.
• Plasma measurements are reliable with both tested biosensors.
• Whole blood lactate measurements require careful consideration of the device, with the Yellow Springs biosensor needing a correction factor for accuracy.