Table 2.

Comparison of sepsis-2 and sepsis-3 criteria.

Stage	Sepsis-2 criteria (SIRSa)	Sepsis-3 criteria (qSOFAb)
Sepsis	Suspected or confirmed infection + SIRS	Suspected or confirmed infection + qSOFA score ≥2
Severe sepsis	Sepsis + organ dysfunction (lab markers, including hypoxia, hypotension, elevated lactate)	Category removed
Septic shock	Severe sepsis + persistent hypotension (after adequate fluid resuscitation)	Sepsis + vasopressors to maintain mean arterial pressure ≥65 mmHg + serum lactate level >2 mmol/L

^aSIRS: systemic inflammatory response syndrome.

^bqSOFA: quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment.