Lactate clearance can be changed by various factors including patient characteristics, severity of shock, and treatment. In particular, hepatic dysfunction might impair the clearance of lactate because liver is a principal organ for lactate metabolism. However, an association between lactate clearance and hepatic failure has not been evaluated during initial resuscitation of patients with severe sepsis and septic shock. The primary goal of this study is to compare lactate clearance in patients with severe sepsis and septic shock according to the presence of hepatic dysfunction. The secondary goal is to evaluate if lactate clearance is associated with mortality even in patients with hepatic dysfunction.