Is SMaRTCOP really smart? Validity of SMaRTCOP in the Severity & Prognosis of Community Acquired Pneumonia in the Emergency Department

Authors

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the validity of the SMaRT-COP score, excluding the indigenous serum albumin levels, in the prognosis and severity of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in the emergency department (ED).

Methods

A prospective observational study of patients presenting with clinical signs and symptoms of pneumonia to ED of a tertiary care hospital. Without taking into consideration the albumin levels of the admitting patients with community acquired pneumonia, the sensitivity and specificity of the modified SMaRTCOP score for intensive respiratory & vasopressor support (IRVS) requirements and ICU admissions were determined.

Results

  In this study, 55.6% and 44.4% of patients were males and females respectively. The mean age of patients was 53.49±15.84 years old. Among the participants, 41.6% required ICU care, and 70.2% received IRVS as part of their treatment. The SMaRTCOP score of 5 or higher demonstrated a sensitivity of 95.12% and a specificity of 85.45% for predicting the need for IRVS, while, for predicting ICU admission, the sensitivity and specificity were 51.22% and 98.18% respectively, with a p-value of 0.001.

Conclusion

 Even without using the indigenous serum albumin levels, we can accurately predict the severity and prognosis of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) using the SMaRTCOP score in the Emergency Department.

Keywords:

Community-acquired pneumonia, Prognosis, Emergency Department

Published

2025/11/21