SCORTEN scale

The SCORTEN scale (SCORe of Toxic Epidermal Necrosis) is a severity-of-illness scale with which the severity of certain bullous conditions can be systematically determined. It was originally developed for toxic epidermal necrolysis,^[1] but can be used with burn victims, sufferers of Stevens–Johnson syndrome, cutaneous drug reactions, or exfoliative wounds.^{[citation needed]} These conditions have in common that they compromise the integrity of the skin and/or mucous membranes.

In the SCORTEN Scale 7 independent risk factors for high mortality are systematically scored, so as to determine the mortality rate for that particular patient.

Risk factor	0	1
Age	< 40 years	> 40 years
Associated malignancy	no	yes
Heart rate (beats/min)	<120	>120
Serum BUN (mg/dL)	<28	>28
Detached or compromised body surface	<10%	>10%
Serum bicarbonate (mEq/L)	>20	<20
Serum glucose (mg/dL)	<252	>252

The more risk factors present, the higher the SCORTEN score, and the higher the mortality rate, as shown in the following table.

No of risk factors	Mortality rate
0-1	3.2%
2	12.1%
3	35.3%
4	58.3%
5 or more	>90%

See also

• Stevens–Johnson syndrome