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Objective <p>Sepsis is a serious complication of infectious diseases in general and infections in the head and neck region in particular. It can lead to death if not detected early and treated promptly. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the qSOFA score in screening for sepsis and to isolate causative pathogens in patients with head and neck infections.</p> Methods <p>This was a retrospective analysis with a cross-sectional design conducted on 79 patients admitted to the Emergency Department (ED) of an academic hospital in southern Vietnam from April 1, 2023, to April 1, 2024, diagnosed with infections in the head and neck region. Based on vital signs at admission, the qSOFA score was calculated. The predictive ability of this score was then assessed by comparing it with patients’ clinical progression and treatment outcomes. Pathogen isolation was also performed to guide the effective initial use of antibiotics.</p> Results <p>Among the 79 patients analyzed, infections were categorized into four groups. Deep neck infections accounted for the highest proportion at 50.63%, with <i>Streptococcus viridans</i> and <i>Anginosus groups</i> being the most common pathogens (31.03% and 27.57%, respectively). Next were superficial neck infections (22.78%) predominantly caused by <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> (55.55%). Infections and complications from sinusitis accounted for 20.25%, with <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> present in 28.57%. Lastly, infections from the ear and mastoid region made up 6.33%. Single bacterial pathogens were found in 79.59% of cases, while co-infections with two pathogens accounted for 20.41%. Among these pathogens, 71.19% showed resistance to at least one tested antibiotic (according to CLSI). When comparing the association between qSOFA scores with disease severity and length of hospital stay, our study found no statistically significant difference.</p> Conclusions <p>The progression of head and neck infections is complex with various causative agents depending on the infection site. Therefore, a good predictive tool is needed; however, the positive predictive value of the qSOFA score is relatively low, highlighting the importance of experienced clinicians in patient assessment. Besides, antimicrobial resistance represents a major public health challenge in Vietnam.</p>

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Using qSOFA to screen sepsis in patients with head and neck infections

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2026年6月3日

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  • Xuan Tri Nguyen,
  • Thi Thuy An Nguyen,
  • Xuan Sang Tran

摘要

Objective

Sepsis is a serious complication of infectious diseases in general and infections in the head and neck region in particular. It can lead to death if not detected early and treated promptly. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the qSOFA score in screening for sepsis and to isolate causative pathogens in patients with head and neck infections.

Methods

This was a retrospective analysis with a cross-sectional design conducted on 79 patients admitted to the Emergency Department (ED) of an academic hospital in southern Vietnam from April 1, 2023, to April 1, 2024, diagnosed with infections in the head and neck region. Based on vital signs at admission, the qSOFA score was calculated. The predictive ability of this score was then assessed by comparing it with patients’ clinical progression and treatment outcomes. Pathogen isolation was also performed to guide the effective initial use of antibiotics.

Results

Among the 79 patients analyzed, infections were categorized into four groups. Deep neck infections accounted for the highest proportion at 50.63%, with Streptococcus viridans and Anginosus groups being the most common pathogens (31.03% and 27.57%, respectively). Next were superficial neck infections (22.78%) predominantly caused by Staphylococcus aureus (55.55%). Infections and complications from sinusitis accounted for 20.25%, with Staphylococcus aureus present in 28.57%. Lastly, infections from the ear and mastoid region made up 6.33%. Single bacterial pathogens were found in 79.59% of cases, while co-infections with two pathogens accounted for 20.41%. Among these pathogens, 71.19% showed resistance to at least one tested antibiotic (according to CLSI). When comparing the association between qSOFA scores with disease severity and length of hospital stay, our study found no statistically significant difference.

Conclusions

The progression of head and neck infections is complex with various causative agents depending on the infection site. Therefore, a good predictive tool is needed; however, the positive predictive value of the qSOFA score is relatively low, highlighting the importance of experienced clinicians in patient assessment. Besides, antimicrobial resistance represents a major public health challenge in Vietnam.