qSOFA screening for sepsis patients
Sepsis is a life-threatening, extreme response by the body to an infection. It causes organ dysfunction and, if left untreated, will lead to organ failure and death. Prompt diagnosis is vital.
The sepsis threat
Globally, incidences of sepsis are thought to be increasing. In the UK, a recent study has suggested that, rather than 150,000 cases presenting per year, a more shocking 260,000 cases of sepsis occur annually.
Given the potential threat of death from sepsis, it is vital that patients with sepsis can be differentiated from those with a non-life-threatening infection as quickly as possible.
Also, if sepsis numbers are increasing, a speedy and reliable diagnostic test is required.
Diagnosing sepsis
In an Intensive Care Unit setting, the SOFA criteria, as follows, can be used to identify a septic patient:
- Respiratory levels
- Coagulation levels
- Liver function
- Cardiovascular function
- Central nervous system function
- Renal function
However, due to the need for prompt action, and in settings where ICU facilities may not be available, a quick method for screening potential sepsis patients from patients with a non-life-threatening infection would be highly useful.
Quick sepsis screening
The qSOFA system is thus recommended as a way of identifying patients who require urgent further investigations as to the possibility of suffering from sepsis. It should enable medical practitioners to prioritise those who have a life-threatening condition and may require immediate antibiotics from those who have not and may only require monitoring. It should also reduce the widespread use of antibiotics where they may not be necessary but where they may previously have been used as an automatic response from fear of sepsis.
The qSOFA criteria for sepsis are:
- A respiratory rate of greater than or equal to 22 per minute
- Systolic blood pressure of less than or equal to 100mm HG
- Altered mentation (mental activity).
Mortality risk
In a recent interview, Professor Mervyn Singer noted that, where two of the SOFA scores have changed against a patient's baseline scores, there is an 8% increase in the mortality risk, and where 3 scores are changed, there is a greater than 20% increase in mortality risk.
He observed that this is not a definitive test, but an indicator that sepsis may be present, that organ dysfunction may be occurring and that the patient should undergo further testing immediately.
Medical Negligence
Suffering from sepsis can be highly distressing and have long-term health implications. Prompt diagnosis and treatment is key to increasing the chances of a positive outcome.
If you have suffered the negative effects of sepsis which you feel was influenced by poor medical attention, you may be entitled to make a claim for compensation.
Contact Glynns Solicitors to discuss your circumstances with a solicitor experienced in medical negligence claims.
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