Metabolic Acidosis Patients at Twice the Risk for Mortality in Intensive Care Units

February 9th, 2006

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A study published in today’s journal, Critical Care, shows that patients with certain types of metabolic acidosis are almost twice as likely to die as those that do not have the abnormal acidic blood PH.

The risk is especially true for patients that suffer from lactic acidosis and for patients that have a strong ion gap (SIG) acidosis. Both of these types of patients need to be monitored more carefully when admitted to an intensive care unit (ICUs).

Kyle Gunnerson from Virginia Commonwealth University and colleagues from the University of Pittsburgh researched 851 patients that were suspected as having metabolic acidosis and were admitted to the ICUs of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. After careful analysis 548 patients were diagnosed with metabolic acidosis while 303 patients did not have the condition.

The 548 patients that had metabolic acidosis there were 44 percent that had lactic acidosis, followed by 37 percent having SIG acidosis. The remaining patients had hyperchloremic acidosis which is another type of acid/base disorder. The overall rate of mortality for patients with metabolic acidosis was 45 percent. The patients that did not have the condition had only a 26 percent mortality rate. The highest percentage of mortality was with the lactic acidosis patients. They had a 56 percent mortality rate. Mortality rate for SIG acidosis was 39 percent. The hyperchloremic acidosis mortality rate was similar to those that did not have the metabolic acidosis. This group only had a 29 percent mortality rate.

The researchers recommend strongly that critically ill patients with metabolic acidosis be monitored and watched for this condition.