Prognostic Significance of Lactate Clearance in Cardiogenic Pulmonary Edema in the Emergency Department

Background and Objectives: Acute cardiorespiratory failure disrupts the delicate balance of energy supply, demand, and consumption, with elevated lactate levels and decreased blood pH serving as crucial indicators. Acute cardiogenic pulmonary edema (ACPO), a common cause of acute respiratory failure, poses a substantial mortality risk. Lactate, a byproduct of pyruvate reduction, is a pertinent marker in perfusion assessment. Lactate clearance (LC) has proven prognostic efficacy in various conditions but lacks consensus on its predictive power in acute cardiogenic pulmonary edema. Materials and Methods: This prospective observational study, conducted in a metropolitan area’s third-level emergency department, involved patients with cardiogenic pulmonary edema from May 2021 to August 2023. The inclusion criteria specified acute cardiogenic pulmonary edema, excluding patients with incomplete data or other respiratory conditions. Lactate clearance, calculated at presentation and after 6 h, served as the primary outcome predictor. Our data analysis employed logistic regression, the ROC curve, and statistical tests. Results: The cohort of 106 patients revealed that a lactate clearance below 14.29% was significantly associated with mortality. While 51.6% of survivors were discharged, LC’s predictive success for discharge was inconclusive. Logistic regression underscored the significance of lactate clearance, with a one-unit increase yielding a 5.55-fold probability of survival. The AUC for LC was 0.759. Conclusions: This study pioneers the exploration of lactate clearance in patients with acute cardiogenic pulmonary edema. LC below 14.29% signifies a poor prognosis, emphasizing its potential as an early treatment initiation marker. While acknowledging this study’s limitations, we advocate for further multicenter research to refine the understanding of lactate clearance in this context.