Sequential Organ Failure Assessment [SOFA] Score in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit

Abstract

Estimation of disease severity and probability of death are important elements in determining the prognosis of patients in ICU.It has been a consistent observation that in pediatric intensive care unit children usually experience multiple organ dysfunction syndromes [MODS]. Sequential organ failure assessment [SOFA] score is based on MODS and help in predicting outcome in critically ill children The aim of this work was to test the value of a pediatric version of SOFA score [pSOFA] in a cohort of critically ill children admitted into the pediatric intensive care unit. Our study was conducted at the pediatric intensive care unit, Pediatric Hospital, Benha University and Benha children hospital. Fifty critically ill patients were included in our study. All patients were subjected to medical history, clinical examination and laboratory investigations. Calculation of pSOFA score was measured. sex was almost equal among the studied cases. Regarding etiology of the studied cases. Septic shock and respiratory failure were the most frequent etiologies. Mean value of Hb was low and a high significant decrease in platelets count among cases.overall mortality rate was 28%.GCS was significantly lower among died cases than among lived cases.The value of pSOFA score was significantly higher among non-survived than survived cases [13.5,5.5 respectively]. Total pSOFA ≥9.0 had highest diagnostic characteristics in prediction of death. Pediatric SOFA score [pSOFA] score can be used as a reliable prognostic predictor of mortality among PICU patients.