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Serum lactate level and mortality in metformin-associated lactic acidosis requiring renal replacement therapy: a systematic review of case reports and case series

Yeh HC, Ting IW, Tsai CW, Wu JY, Kuo CC

BMC nephrology, 2017

51 citations

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The current practice concerning timing, mode, and dose of renal replacement therapy (RRT) in patients with metformin-associated lactic acidosis (MALA) with renal failure remains unknown. To investigate whether serum lactate level and prescription pattern of RRT are associated with mortality in patients with MALA requiring RRT.

METHODS: We searched PubMed/Medline and EMBASE from inception to Sep 2014 and applied predetermined exclusion criteria. Case-level data including case's demographics and clinical information related to MALA were abstracted. Multiple logistic regression modeling was used to examine the predictors of mortality.

RESULTS: A total of 253 unique cases were identified with cumulative mortality of 17.2%. Eighty-seven percent of patients had acute kidney injury. Serum lactate level was significantly higher in non-survivors (median 22.5 mmol/L) than in survivors (17.0 mmol/L, p-value <0.01) and so did the median blood metformin concentrations (58.5 vs. 43.9 mg/L, p-value = 0.05). The survival advantage was not significantly different between the modalities of RRT. The adjusted odds ratio of mortality for every one mmol/L increase in serum lactate level was 1.09 (95% CI 1.02-1.17, p-value = 0.01). The dose-response curve indicated a lactate threshold greater than 20 mmol/L was significantly associated with mortality.

CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that predialysis level of serum lactate level is an important marker of mortality in MALA patients…

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