SOFA Score Station
Sequential Organ Failure Assessment & Mortality Risk HUD
Assessment Pending
Complete Organ Review
The Clinical Science of Sequential Organ Failure Assessment
The SOFA score is used to track a patient's status during their stay in an intensive care unit (ICU) to determine the extent of a person's organ function or rate of failure. Under the Sepsis-3 guidelines, sepsis is defined as a life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response to infection, represented by a SOFA increase of 2 points or more.
Interpreting Mortality Trends
While an initial SOFA score is useful for prognosis, the trend over 48 hours is a much stronger predictor of hospital mortality. A decreasing score suggests a positive response to therapy, while an increasing score correlates with worsening multi-organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS).
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between SOFA and qSOFA?
qSOFA (quick SOFA) is a simplified bedside tool used outside the ICU to identify patients at risk for sepsis. The full SOFA score is the gold standard for ICU diagnostics, requiring laboratory data for bilirubin, creatinine, and platelets.
How is the score calculated for intubated patients?
For patients on mechanical ventilation, the respiratory component thresholds are lower, and the GCS score is often recorded with a 'T' suffix to indicate intubation (e.g., GCS 10T).
Clinical References
- 1. Singer M, et al. The Third International Consensus Definitions for Sepsis and Septic Shock (Sepsis-3). JAMA. 2016.
- 2. Vincent JL, et al. The SOFA score to describe organ dysfunction/failure. Intensive Care Med. 1996.
CLINICAL RESOURCE
Verified 2026 Sepsis-3 Model