Missing Lactate Values in Critical Care Registries: A Multiple Imputation Framework for Cardiogenic Shock Research.

Missing lactate measurements are a source of selection and measurement bias in critical care registries. A structured imputation framework mitigates bias and improves the reliability of real-world evidence in cardiovascular epidemiology.

Lactate is a blood marker that helps clinicians assess how sick a patient is and is commonly used in risk prediction tools for patients with cardiogenic shock.

However, lactate measurements are often missing in clinical registries because testing practices vary across hospitals and patient groups.