Interpretation
| Result | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 0–1 | No meaningful organ dysfunction |
| ≥2 (acute change) | Organ dysfunction; with infection = sepsis (Sepsis-3) |
| Rising score over 48 h | Associated with increasing ICU mortality |
Formula
Respiratory PaO₂/FiO₂: ≥400 0, <400 1, <300 2, <200 with support 3, <100 with support 4 · Platelets ×10³/µL: ≥150 0, <150 1, <100 2, <50 3, <20 4 · Bilirubin mg/dL: <1.2 0, 1.2–1.9 1, 2.0–5.9 2, 6.0–11.9 3, ≥12 4 · CV: MAP ≥70 0, MAP <70 1, dopamine ≤5 or dobutamine 2, dopamine >5 or epi/norepi ≤0.1 3, dopamine >15 or epi/norepi >0.1 4 · GCS: 15 0, 13–14 1, 10–12 2, 6–9 3, <6 4 · Creatinine mg/dL: <1.2 0, 1.2–1.9 1, 2.0–3.4 2, 3.5–4.9 or UO <500 mL/d 3, ≥5 or UO <200 mL/d 4
Clinical pearls
- Sepsis-3 uses the CHANGE from baseline; assume a baseline of 0 only if no pre-existing organ dysfunction is known.
- Respiratory scores of 3–4 require ventilatory support; without support, a PaO₂/FiO₂ <200 scores 2.
- For sedated patients, score GCS as the presumed value without sedation.
Examples
sofa pao2 80 fio2 50% intubated plt 80 bili 2.5 norepi 0.08 gcs 13 cr 2.2sofa score: PaO2 10.7 kPa on FiO2 0.4, not ventilated, platelets 120, bilirubin 30 umol/L, MAP 65 no pressors, GCS 15, creatinine 150 umol/Lorgan failure score map 72 no pressors plt 200 bili 0.8 gcs 15 creat 0.9 pao2 90 fio2 21
FAQ
What SOFA score defines sepsis?
An acute increase of 2 or more points from baseline due to infection defines sepsis under Sepsis-3.
How are vasopressors scored in SOFA?
Dopamine ≤5 µg/kg/min or any dobutamine scores 2; dopamine >5 or epinephrine/norepinephrine ≤0.1 scores 3; dopamine >15 or epinephrine/norepinephrine >0.1 scores 4.