Lactate Albumin ratio as a prognostic marker in children with septic shock

Sepsis is defined as life threatening organ dysfunction caused by dysregulated host immune response to infection.Sepsis in children is associated with high morbidity and mortality rates. Early identification, appropriate resuscitation and management are therefore critical to optimize the outcome for children with sepsis .Traditional markers like lactate and albumin have individually shown prognostic value in sepsis but affected by various physiological and pathological conditions . Lactate albumin ratio (LAR) has gained attention as simple, easily obtainable and cost-effective biomarker that may offer better prognostic accuracy than either parameter alone. Unlike complex scoring system like PRISM III (Paediatric Risk of Mortality), which require multiple clinical and laboratory variables, LAR can be rapidly derived using routinely available blood test results even in peripheral or low- resource settings. Despite its proven value in adult sepsis, data on LAR in Paediatric sepsis are limited especially in India.