Assessing the discriminative ability of the respiratory exchange ratio to detect hyperlactatemia during intermediate-to-high risk abdominal surgery

In mechanically ventilated patients undergoing intermediate to high-risk abdominal surgery, the RER had moderate discriminative abilities to detect hyperlactatemia. Increased values should prompt clinicians to investigate for the presence of hyperlactatemia and treat any potential causes of DO₂/VO₂ mismatch as suggested by the subsequent presence of hyperlactatemia.