Calculate the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score across six organ systems and review mortality-oriented severity context.
The Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score is a six-system worksheet used to summarize organ dysfunction in critically ill adults. It scores respiration, coagulation, liver, cardiovascular status, central nervous system function, and renal function on a 0 to 4 scale, for a total from 0 to 24.
SOFA is widely cited in critical care because it gives a structured way to compare organ-dysfunction burden across systems instead of focusing on one laboratory value or one organ in isolation. Higher scores are associated with worse outcomes in historic ICU cohorts.
This calculator is best used as a reference worksheet for score calculation, trend review, and severity context. It is not a treatment or protocol engine.
SOFA provides a standardized, objective measure of organ dysfunction that goes beyond any single lab value. It helps show whether organ dysfunction is limited to one system or spread across several systems.
The score is usually most informative when read as a trend. Looking at serial SOFA values helps show whether organ dysfunction is improving, worsening, or staying relatively stable over time.
SOFA Score = Sum of 6 organ subscores (each 0-4) Range: 0-24 Respiration: PaO2/FiO2 Coagulation: Platelets Liver: Bilirubin Cardiovascular: MAP or vasopressor requirement CNS: Glasgow Coma Scale Renal: Creatinine or urine output
Result: SOFA Score 11 — High severity band
Resp 3 + Coag 1 + Liver 0 + CV 3 + CNS 2 + Renal 2 = 11/24. Three organ systems have scores of 2 or higher, with cardiovascular and respiratory dysfunction carrying the greatest burden. If this score represents a rise of at least 2 points from baseline in a patient with suspected infection, it meets the common Sepsis-3 organ-dysfunction reference threshold.
SOFA was designed to summarize dysfunction across six organ systems rather than to act as a stand-alone treatment tool. That makes it useful for severity comparisons, mortality-oriented context, and serial trend review in critically ill patients.
A single score gives a snapshot, but serial SOFA values often carry more meaning. A rising score suggests worsening organ dysfunction, while a falling score suggests recovery. That is why many ICU teams review SOFA as a trend rather than relying only on one number.
Several variants exist for different settings, including modified SOFA approaches, qSOFA for bedside screening, and pediatric or neonatal adaptations. This page focuses on the core adult SOFA structure so the six organ components remain easy to review in one place.
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This calculator scores each of the six standard SOFA organ systems from 0 to 4 using the entered worst values for the prior 24 hours, then sums them into the usual 0-24 total. It is designed to support serial organ-dysfunction tracking, including the Sepsis-3 convention that suspected infection plus an acute SOFA increase of 2 or more points represents clinically important organ dysfunction.
The page does not treat SOFA as a stand-alone diagnosis or withdrawal-of-care rule. Baseline chronic organ dysfunction, sedation, vasopressor context, and ICU workflow all affect interpretation, so the output should be used alongside the full clinical picture and daily reassessment rather than as a single fixed prognosis number.
For patients without known chronic organ dysfunction, baseline SOFA is often assumed to be 0. When chronic dysfunction is present, the change from the patient baseline matters more than the raw score alone.
In ICU practice it is often reviewed from the worst values in the preceding 24 hours, but local workflows vary. For interpretation, the trend over time is usually more informative than any single value.
SOFA was developed in critical care settings. Related tools such as qSOFA and modified SOFA variants are often used when ICU-style data are not available.
It means the worksheet has captured hypotension or vasopressor support strong enough to move the cardiovascular subscore into the higher bands. The exact cause still depends on the full clinical picture.
APACHE II uses a broader admission dataset, while SOFA focuses more directly on organ-dysfunction scoring and trend review. The two tools answer related but different questions.
No. SOFA is a severity and organ-dysfunction worksheet. It can inform discussion, but it should not be treated as a stand-alone treatment, escalation, or withdrawal rule.