QSOFA and SOFA scores are valuable tools for predicting postoperative sepsis resulting from ureteroscopic lithotripsy (URSL)

The sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) and quick sequential organ failure assessment (qSOFA) scores are new tools which are used to assess sepsis based on the Third International Consensus Definitions for Sepsis and Septic Shock Task Force. This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of using the SOFA and qSOFA to predict post-ureteroscopic lithotripsy (URSL) sepsis. Patients who underwent URSL due to ureteral stone obstruction were retrospectively reviewed using SOFA and qSOFA scores. Patient characteristics including age, gender, comorbidities, American Society of Anesthesiologists Classification, stone burden, stone location, hydronephrosis status, infectious status, preoperative SOFA and qSOFA score were collected. Preoperative factors were analyzed to determine if they were correlated with postoperative sepsis. A total of 830 patients were included in this study, of whom 32 (3.9%) had postoperative sepsis. Multivariate analysis revealed that older age, proximal ureteral stones, severe hydronephrosis, and high preoperative qSOFA or SOFA score were significantly associated with postoperative sepsis. The areas under the curves of a qSOFA score ≥ 1 and SOFA score ≥ 2 for predicting postoperative sepsis were 0.754 and 0.823, respectively. Preoperative qSOFA and SOFA scores are convenient and effective for predicting post-URSL sepsis. Further preventive strategies should be performed in these high-risk patients.