Use of the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score for evaluating outcome among obstetric patients admitted to the intensive care unit

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the prognostic value of the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score among obstetric patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). METHODS: A prospective study was conducted among 90 consecutive obstetric patients who were admitted to the ICU of Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital, Delhi, India, between October 6, 2010, and December 25, 2011. Maximum SOFA score was calculated for each of the six organ systems. Receiver operating characteristic curves were used to determine critical cutoff values for total, maximum total, and mean total SOFA scores at various time points. RESULTS: Total SOFA score at admission displayed an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.949, a cutoff value of at least 8.5, sensitivity of 86.7%, and specificity of 90.0%. Maximum total SOFA score had an AUC of 0.980, a cutoff value of at least 10.0, sensitivity of 96.7%, and specificity of 90.0%. Mean total SOFA score had an AUC of 0.997, a cutoff value of at least 9.0, sensitivity of 96.7%, and specificity of 96.7%. CONCLUSION: In terms of discriminatory power for predicting mortality among obstetric patients admitted to the ICU, total SOFA score at admission was the most relevant, simple, and accurate measure.