The Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score (originally called the Sepsis-related Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score) was developed as a clinical scoring system to provide an overview of where any critically ill patient was with regards to the sequence of organ system failure. It was not explicitly designed/intended to be a prognostic score, although later research has established that it can be used as such 1,2.
Scoring
Each of six organ systems is independently assigned a score of 1 to 4. The total SOFA score represents a summation of these six scores, with scores ranging 6 to 24, with sicker patients generally being assigned higher scores 1,2.
Organ systems
Depending on the value of each parameter, a score from 1-4 can be assigned for each organ system:
- respiration: PaO2
- coagulation: platelets
- liver: bilirubin
- cardiovascular: hypotension
- CNS: Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS)
- renal: creatinine or urine output
History and etymology
The European Society of Intensive Care Medicine (ESICM) devised the sequential organ failure assessment score at a consensus meeting in October 1994 in Paris, France 1.