[Umbilical artery lactate level as a marker of the neonatal clinical condition--preliminary results].

The paper presents a trial to assess efficacy of cord artery blood lactate level measurement in assessing clinical condition of the newborn and prognosing occurrence of neonatal complications. Prospective study in 400 newborns revealed occurrence of significantly higher lactate levels in the newborns with perinatal asphyxia, complicated labours, Apgar score below 7 in the 1st minute of life as well as in those with neonatal complications, compared to the healthy controls. Routine testing of cord artery blood lactate level seems to be the high specific test in diagnosing distress in the newborn and prognosing pathology of the neonatal period.