A study on the prognostic value of core to peripheral temperature
gradient and blood lactate levels in critically ill children in a tertiary care
hospital in Kanpur, India
Affiliations: Department of Pediatrics, GSVM Medical College,
Kanpur, India | Department of Community Medicine, GSVM Medical
College, Kanpur, India
Note: [] orrespondence: Yashwant Kumar Rao, L-20, GSVM Medical College
Campus, Kanpur, 208002, India. Tel.: +91 9919080807; E-mail: ykraoneo@yahoo.co.in
Abstract: To assess the prognostic value of core to peripheral temperature
gradient and blood lactate levels in critically ill children and determine
their correlation in terms of patient outcome. It is a prospective
observational study conducted on 99 patients admitted in the pediatric
emergency ward/ICU of Deptt. Of Pediatrics, G.S.V.M. Medical College, Kanpur.
Children between ages of 6 months to 18 years with sequential organ failure
assessment (SOFA) score > 5 were included. ROC analysis and
multiple logistic regression analysis were used to analyse the data. ROC curve
analysis showed that core to peripheral temperature gradient and blood lactate
levels had similar predictive values for increased risk of death (area under
the curve, 0.852 and 0.825, respectively) with the best cut-off values of
3.4°C for core to peripheral temperature gradient and
44 mg/L for blood lactate levels. Among infants aged 6 months to 18 years, core
to peripheral temperature gradient and blood lactate levels are good prognostic
indicators in identifying critically ill children at increased risk of death.
Keywords: Core to peripheral temperature gap, blood lactate levels, children
