Comparison of SOFA score and serum procalcitonin combination with SOFA score alone in predicting short-term mortality in patients with sepsis

Sepsis continues to be a major public health problem globally. The worldwide burden of sepsis isdifficult to ascertain although a recently published article indicates that there were an estimated 48·9million incident cases of sepsis and 11·0 million sepsis-related deaths in 2017 representing 19·7% ofdeaths that year. These estimates are more than double of previous global figures, which is probablydue to addition of data from low-income and middle-income countries, locations where the incidenceof sepsis and associated mortality are significantly higher and for which data were previously unknown.Prevalence of sepsis-related mortality varies considerably according to location. Significant regionaldisparities in sepsis incidence and mortality exist; approximately 85.0% of sepsis cases and sepsis related deaths worldwide occurred in low- and middle-income countries. The Third International Consensus Definitions for Sepsis and Septic Shock (Sepsis-3), defines sepsisas a life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by dysregulated host response to infection. Earlyidentification and diagnosis are essential, as prompt and appropriate treatment can improve survivaloutcomes. Despite advances in antibiotic therapy and modern life support, the fatality rate of patientswith sepsis has remained as high as 30%-50% worldwide. Early identification of patients at high riskof dying from sepsis may help initiate rapid and appropriate therapeutic interventions and may have agreat impact on sepsis-related morbidity and mortality. However, an accurate assessment of patients atrisk for poor clinical outcomes is challenging for clinicians.Clinical severity scores, such as the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score, have beenvalidated for risk stratification in critical care settings. However, in recent years, a number of bloodbiomarkers have been identified that may provide additional information to estimate diseaseprogression in sepsis. Procalcitonin (PCT), the pre-hormone of calcitonin, has been widely investigatedin infectious diseases. Apart from its diagnostic value, an elevated PCT concentrations was reported tobe strongly associated with all-cause mortality in septic patients. The purpose of this study is tocompare SOFA score and serum procalcitonin combination with SOFA score alone in predicting shortterm mortality i.e 28-day mortality in patients with sepsis.