Comparison between contemporary criteria for detection of systemic and life-threatening infections
| Characteristic/score | SIRS | qSOFA | qPitt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Purpose: what is it designed to detect? | Systemic infections (e.g., BSI) | Life-threatening infections (i.e., sepsis) | Critically ill among those with systemic infections or BSI |
| Components | Temperature > 38°C or < 36°C | SBP ≤ 100 mmHg | Temperature < 36°C |
| Heart rate > 90/min | RR ≥ 22/min | SBP < 90 mmHg or vasopressor use | |
| RR > 20/min | Altered mental status | RR ≥ 25/min or mechanical ventilation | |
| WBC count > 12,000/μL or < 4,000/μL | Altered mental status | ||
| Cardiac arrest | |||
| Cut off score to meet criteria | SIRS ≥ 2 | qSOFA ≥ 2 | qPitt ≥ 2 |
| Pros | High sensitivity for BSI | Simplest score | High discrimination to predict mortality |
| Includes only bedside clinical variables | Includes only bedside clinical variables | ||
| Cons | Low specificity for infections | Variable sensitivity and specificity based on population | Not evaluated yet in patients with suspected infections |
| Low PPV | |||
| Non-discriminatory performance for mortality | |||
| Includes a laboratory variable |
qSOFA: quick sequential organ failure assessment; qPitt: quick Pitt bacteremia score; SBP: systolic blood pressure; RR: respiratory rate; PPV: positive predictive value