ABSTRACT
The Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) was chosen in the definition of sepsis due to superior validity in predicting mortality. However, few studies have assessed the contributions of acute versus chronic organ failures to SOFA for mortality prediction. OBJECTIVES: The main objective in this study was to assess the relative importance of chronic and acute organ failures in mortality prediction in patients with suspected sepsis at hospital admission. We also evaluated how the presence of infection influenced the ability of SOFA to predict 30-day mortality. DESIGN SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Single-center prospective cohort study including 1,313 adult patients with suspected sepsis in rapid response teams in the emergency department. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The main outcome was 30-day mortality. We measured the maximum total SOFA score during admission (SOFATotal), whereas preexisting chronic organ failure SOFA (SOFAChronic) score was assessed by chart review, allowing calculation of the corresponding acute SOFA (SOFAAcute) score. Likelihood of infection was determined post hoc as "No infection" or "Infection." RESULTS: SOFAAcute and SOFAChronic were both associated with 30-day mortality, adjusted for age and sex (adjusted odds ratios [AORs], 1.3; 95% CI, 1.3-14 and 1.3; 1.2-1.7), respectively. Presence of infection was associated with lower 30-day mortality (AOR, 0.4; 95% CI, 0.2-0.6), even when corrected for SOFA. In "No infection" patients, SOFAAcute was not associated with mortality (AOR, 1.1; 95% CI, 1.0-1.2), and in this subgroup, neither SOFAAcute greater than or equal to 2 (relative risk [RR], 1.1; 95% CI, 0.6-1.8) nor SOFATotal greater than or equal to 2 (RR, 3.6; 95% CI, 0.9-14.1) was associated with higher mortality. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Chronic and acute organ failures were equally associated with 30-day mortality in suspected sepsis. A substantial part of the total SOFA score was due to chronic organ failure, calling for caution when using total SOFA in defining sepsis and as an outcome in intervention studies. SOFA's mortality prediction ability was highly dependent on actual presence of infection.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: In 2017, Acute Admissions at Oslo University Hospital, Ullevål, introduced a specific protocol for evaluating patients with suspected sepsis on arrival. Patients with suspected sepsis, and all those who fulfilled at least two of three criteria in the Quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (qSOFA) screening tool, were to undergo a structured evaluation by a dedicated sepsis team. We have examined whether this initiative improved compliance with national recommendations to initiate antibiotics within one hour in cases of sepsis. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Adult patients with suspected sepsis who underwent a structured team evaluation on arrival in Acute Admissions in the period 15 May to 15 November 2017 were included. A retrospective review was used to determine whether or not those included did in fact have sepsis. RESULTS: Antibiotics were administered for suspected sepsis following 216 structured evaluations in Acute Admissions (172 by sepsis teams and 44 by general medical teams). In all, 175 (81 %) patients received antibiotics within one hour of arrival in Acute Admissions. Median time from arrival to initiation of antibiotics was 35 minutes. Use of qSOFA alone captured 80 (71 %) of the 112 patients who were subsequently classified as having sepsis. INTERPRETATION: Following the introduction of a structured evaluation for patients with suspected sepsis, antibiotic treatment was generally initiated within one hour.
