Journal Article

The Use of qSOFA Score in the Elderly in an Internal Medicine Department—a Retrospective Cohort

Panarra, António, Guerreiro Castro, Sara, Gruner, Heidi, Mihon, Cláudia, Vieira Alves, Rita, Antunes, Ana Margarida, Llado, Ana, Taulaigo, Anna, Vicente, Madalena, Ferraz, Mário, Rego de Figueiredo, Inês

2019

Overview

With the increased presence of the elderly in the emergency department, sepsis represents a major cause of death. The Sepsis Taskforce developed the quick SOFA (qSOFA) score which consists of only 3 items, is quick and easy to apply, and establishes a mortality risk for patients. A retrospective review of electronic records of elderly patients, admitted during a year, with an infectious disease was made. Outcomes were in-hospital mortality, admission to intensive care unit, need for invasive mechanical ventilation, non-invasive mechanical ventilation, antibiotic escalation, and length of stay. In the 310 patients, 24% had a positive qSOFA score at admission. It correlated with increased mortality (2.7 times), also increased ICU admission (3.5 times), greater need for invasive ventilation (risk ratio 4.4), non-invasive ventilation (3 times higher), and a longer length of stay (2.3 days). qSOFA was a good predictor of IMV and NIMV need, ICU admission, and death.

• Publisher: Springer Nature B.V
• Subject: Abscesses / Age / Antibiotics / Arthritis / Blood pressure / Bronchitis / Cellulitis / Cerebrovascular disease / Coma / Comorbidity / Diarrhea / Females / Geriatrics / Hospitals / Infections / Infectious diseases / Internal medicine / Length of stay / Medical diagnosis / Metastasis / Mortality / Pneumonia / Regression analysis / Sepsis / Ventilators