Is lactic acidosis predictive of outcomes in pediatric diabetic ketoacidosis

Abstract Objectives The objective of this study was to investigate the significance and prevalence of lactic acidosis in pediatric diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) presenting to the emergency department. Methods A retrospective cohort study of children (age ≤ 21 years) presenting to a tertiary care emergency department in DKA from December 1, 2015 to December 1, 2018. Patients needed to have DKA requiring admission to the pediatric intensive care unit and have had a lactate level collected while in the emergency department to be included. Results 92 patients resulting in 113 encounters had DKA and a lactate level collected in the emergency department. The mean lactate level was 3.5 mmol/L (± SD 2.1). 72 (63.7%) encounters had lactic acidosis (p Conclusions Lactic acidosis is a common finding in pediatric DKA patients presenting to the emergency department. Serum lactate alone should not be used as an outcome predictor in pediatric DKA.