Improving Treatment Decisions for Patients with Community-Acquired Pneumonia

Research in Action, Issue 7

Table 1. Identifying the level of risk in CAP patients: The risk factors and how they are scored

Patient Characteristic		Points Assigned*
Demographic Factors (Age)	Males	Age (in years)
	Females	Age (in years) -10
	Nursing home residents	+10
Comorbid Illnesses	Neoplastic disease	+30
	Liver disease	+20
	Congestive heart failure	+10
	Cerebrovascular disease	+10
	Renal disease	+10
Physical Examination Findings	Altered mental status	+20
	Respiratory rate 30 breaths per minute or more	+20
	Systolic blood pressure < 90 mm Hg	+20
	Temperature < 35°C or 40°C or more	+15
	Pulse 125 beats per minute or more	+10
Laboratory findings	pH < 7.35	+30
	BUN > 10.7 mmol/L	+20
	Sodium less than 130 /L	+20
	Glucose > 13.9 mmol/L	+10
	Hematocrit < 30 percent	+10
	Partial pressure of arterial oxygen < 60 mm Hg	+10⊃1;
	Pleural effusion	+10

*A risk score (total point score) for a given patient is obtained by summing the patient age in years (age minus 10 for females) and the points for each applicable patient characteristic.

⊃1;Oxygen saturation < 90 percent was considered abnormal in the Pneumonia PORT cohort study. The application of the PSI to the initial site of treatment decision (translational research) combines the PSI risk score and in addition considers the status of arterial oxygenation when used to guide the initial site of treatment.

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Current as of July 2002

Internet Citation: Improving Treatment Decisions for Patients with Community-Acquired Pneumonia: Research in Action, Issue 7. July 2002. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://archive.ahrq.gov/research/findings/factsheets/pneumonia/issue7/table1.html