Under the Third International Consensus Definitions for Sepsis (Sepsis-3), how is clinical sepsis defined in a patient with suspected infection?

Answer and explanation

Correct answer: B. Acute increase in SOFA score of 2 points or more

  1. Step 1: The Sepsis-3 consensus abandoned the former systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) criteria for defining sepsis.
  2. Step 2: Sepsis is now defined as life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response to infection, operationalized as an acute increase in the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score of 2 points or higher.
Answer
Acute increase in SOFA score of 2 points or more.
Why not the others: Systemic inflammatory signs like fever and leukocytosis are non-specific and do not define sepsis without organ dysfunction. An asymptomatic positive blood culture represents bacteremia or specimen contamination. A localized purulent wound reflects local infection without systemic organ failure.

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