MEDS Score (Mortality in Emergency Department Sepsis)

MEDS Score

Stratifies emergency-department patients with suspected sepsis into 28-day mortality risk groups (very low to very high) to aid disposition; a prognostic aid only, not a treatment threshold or a substitute for clinical judgment.

Age (years)

Platelet count (x10^3/uL)

Terminal illness (metastatic cancer or expected death within 30 days)

Tachypnea (respiratory rate > 20/min) or hypoxia (SpO2 < 90% or new oxygen requirement)

Septic shock (systolic BP < 90 mmHg despite adequate fluid resuscitation)

Bandemia (band neutrophils > 5%)

Nursing-home resident

Lower respiratory tract infection (e.g., pneumonia)

Altered mental status