A Prospective Observational Study on the Evaluation of Early Postoperative Lactate Levels in Predicting the Surgical Outcome in Major Abdominal Surgeries

Aravinta Kumar S.R.; Suman Saurav Rout; Jyoti Ranjan Sahoo; Prakash Kumar Sahoo

doi:10.31584/jhsmr.20251288

A Prospective Observational Study on the Evaluation of Early Postoperative Lactate Levels in Predicting the Surgical Outcome in Major Abdominal Surgeries

Aravinta Kumar S.R., Suman Saurav Rout, Jyoti Ranjan Sahoo, Prakash Kumar Sahoo

Abstract

Objective: Early postoperative lactate levels are emerging as key predictors of surgical outcomes. This study aimed to evaluate their predictive value in patients undergoing major abdominal surgeries.
Material and Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted from October 2023 to February 2025 of 238 patients. Lactate levels were measured at 0, 6, 12, and 24 hours postoperatively. Complications and 30-day mortality were recorded. ROC curve analysis and logistic regression were used to assess predictive accuracy using SPSS software.
Results: Postoperative complications occurred in 43.5% and mortality in 9.2% of patients. The 24-hour lactate (L24) had the highest predictive value (AUC=0.82 for complications, 0.91 for mortality). Cut-offs of 1.4 mmol/L and 3.0 mmol/L were optimal for predicting complications and mortality, respectively. SOFA score (AUC=0.97) showed stronger mortality prediction.
Conclusion: L24 lactate is a reliable biomarker for the early detection of postoperative morbidity and mortality. Integration into routine care can guide early interventions and improve outcomes.

Keywords

lactate; logistic regression; mortality prediction; postoperative morbidity; reliable biomarker

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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.31584/jhsmr.20251288

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