Is lactate level beneficial in triage of non-traumatic emergencies?

Aim: In this study, we aimed to investigate if blood lactate levels, which have been proven to be effective in trauma triage, can serve as a guide in the triage of nontraumatic yellow and red zone (urgent and very urgent) zone patients.Material and Methods: The relationship between venous blood lactate level and triage categories was investigated retrospectively in 1060 yellow and red zone patients who visited the emergency department between 19.02.2019 and 07.03.2019.Results: The mean lactate level was significantly higher in patients categorized as red (very urgent) compared to patients categorized as yellow (urgent) (3.04 +/- 2.32 vs.1.93 +/- 1.08 mmol/L) (p<0.05, p=0.001). A lactate level >2 mmol/L could distinguish between red and yellow categories with a sensitivity of 64.15% and a specificity of 68.74% (p<0.05) respectively.Discussion: Although the lactate level in the red zone is significantly higher than in the yellow zone, we do not consider it appropriate to use this parameter on non-traumatic triage decisions due to its low sensitivity and specificity.