🦠 Pitt Bacteraemia Score
Grade acute illness severity in bacteraemia with the Pitt bacteraemia score.
Pitt Bacteraemia Score
Temperature
Hypotension (acute, vasopressors, or SBP drop)
Mechanical ventilation
Cardiac arrest
Mental status
When to use
Risk-adjust and prognosticate in bloodstream infection.
How it works
Temperature (0–2), hypotension (2), mechanical ventilation (2), cardiac arrest (4), mental status (0–4). ≥ 4 = high risk.
Key points
- Widely used to risk-adjust bacteraemia outcomes.
- ≥ 4 is a common severity cut-off.
- Captures acute physiology, not the organism.
References
Decision support for licensed clinicians only; not a substitute for clinical judgement, diagnosis or local protocols.