Kramer A, et al. - Given the predictive value of lactate indices for survival in selected diseases and syndromes, researchers investigated if admission lactate or lactate dynamics (LD) within 24 h can predict 30-day mortality in unselected critically ill non-traumatic patients. They performed a retrospective study over a 1-year period analyzing admission lactate, time weighted average lactate (Lac_TW) and LD of 392 critically ill adult patients admitted from Emergency Department (ED) to intensive care unit. An overall 30-day mortality rate of around 29% was noted. Observations suggest that LD at 6 h and Lac_TW may predict survival beyond 30 days in critically ill ED patients initially requiring treatment in a resuscitation room setting.