After a long and exhausting discussion with an inferior human being, a cardiologist, which happens to be an old friend, I decided to write some thoughts about lactate. So, I’ll do like I do in my lectures, which is state my final position at the beginning. Lactate is more desirable as a severity marker than a target to be pursued. I’ve seen a patient being admitted to the ICU with a “so called” septic shock due to pneumonia with a slightly low blood pressure and high lactate. After reviewing the case, the high lactate was due to a beta-adrenergic taken for asthma, and there were no pneumonia at all.

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