“UTILITY OF SMARTCOP IN COMMUNITY AQUIRED PNEUMONIA” –A PROSPECTIVE STUDY IN A TERTIARY CARE TEACHING HOSPITAL IN SOUTHERN INDIA.

Objectives: 1.To investigate the utility of SMARTCOP in effectively stratifying pneumonia patients. 2.To evaluate the necessity for advanced respiratory support based on SMARTCOP categorization. 3.To prognosticate the outcomes of pneumonia cases utilizing the SMARTCOP score. Materials And Methods: "A prospective study was conducted on patients presenting at a tertiary care hospital in Southern India over a two-year period. These patients were diagnosed with pneumonia based on a hospital -based inclusion criteria notably abnormal chest X-rays, clinical symptoms, and laboratory investigations. "The SMARTCOP score was utilized to assess pneumonia patie Results: nts with high severity and their need for intensive care support. A total of 368 patients presented with community acquired pneumonia during the study period and through a comprehensive analysis 80 patients were nally included in the study after exclusion criteria. The SMARTCOP helped in stratifying the patients in -to groups based on their scores the majority 29/80 patients (36.25%) fell into the very high-risk category; SMARTCOP scores (7+) compared to low -risk group of 11/80(13.8%); SMARTCOP SCORE (0-2). This classication aided in identifying individuals who required immediate and intensive medical intervention vis a vis Assisted ventilation or Inotrope support, highlighting the score's effectiveness in clinical decisionmaking. Finally, the patient outcome was categorized in to 3 groups a) Recovered b) Morbidity (requiring home oxygen or NIV at discharge) and c) Expired. Statistical analysis, specically using the Chi-square test, revealed a signicant association (p = 0.030) between SMARTCOP scores and patient outcomes, underscoring the score's utility as a predictive tool in managing pneumonia cases of varying severity. “ "The Conclusion: SMARTCOP score proved to be benecial tool in a)risk stratifying b)identifying need for intensive respiratory support c)determine the prognosis vis a vis recovered, morbidity or expired. “