The Ability of NEWS2 to Detect Sepsis in Adult Patients With Positive Blood Cultures

Blood stream infections are associated with high mortality and morbidity. NEWS2 is a quick scoring system including bedside measurable vital signs. This study aimed to investigate the ability of NEWS2 ≥ 5p to identify sepsis, per Sepsis-3 criteria, among adult patients with community-acquired infection and positive blood cultures. It also explored if NEWS2 ≥ 5p could indicate infection etiology based on bacterial species in blood culture. This retrospective study included 555 patients with positive blood cultures. 425 of 555 (76.6%) patients had sepsis. The sensitivity of NEWS2 ≥ 5p for detecting sepsis was 86.6% and was not statistically associated with infection etiology. Patients with S. pneumoniae had a higher median NEWS2 score than those with other bacterial species. The 28-day mortality rate was 12.1%, and the sensitivity of NEWS2 ≥ 5p for detecting 28-day mortality was 91.0%. NEWS2 ≥ 5p was detected in a high proportion of sepsis cases among patients with blood stream infections, independent of bacterial species, and is a quick tool for identifying high sepsis likelihood in the emergency department.