A severity score for complicated skin and soft tissue infections derived from phase III studies of linezolid

Severity scoring systems are useful for assessing patient risk and predicting prognosis. We developed a scoring system using data from a phase III study comparing antibiotics in hospitalized patients with complicated skin and soft tissue infections (study A), and used logistic regression analysis to identify factors contributing to treatment failure. We tested this system using data from a similar study (study B). In study A (n = 682), cure rates were lower in patients with at least 1 comorbid condition ( P