CURB-65 Score

Severity assessment for community-acquired pneumonia.

Severity Criteria

Check for co-morbidities or social factors that might necessitate admission regardless of the score.

Pneumonia Severity

CURB-65 Score0Points

Mortality Risk0.6 - 2.7%Estimated

Low (Group 1)

Management: Outpatient care is likely appropriate.

Overview

The CURB-65 score is a clinical prediction rule used to validate the severity of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) and determine whether the patient can be managed as an outpatient or requires hospitalization.

💡

Pro Tips

Use 'CRB-65' if urea measurement is not immediately available.
Clinical judgement should always override a score if the patient looks worse than the score suggests.
Monitor oxygen saturation (SpO2) alongside CURB-65 to assess for hypoxia.

Fun Facts

"A score of 0-1 generally indicates a low risk of mortality."
"Scores of 2 should be considered for short hospital stays or supervised outpatient care."
"Scores ≥ 3 often indicate severe pneumonia and require hospital admission, potentially in the ICU."
"CURB-65 is easier to remember than the Pneumonia Severity Index (PSI)."

Formula: 1 point for each criteria: Confusion, Urea level, Respiratory rate, Blood pressure, and Age.

Used with this

Similar tools that might be useful

A-a Gradient

Calculate the alveolar-arterial oxygen gradient to assess lung function.

ABSI (A Body Shape Index)

Assess mortality risk based on waist circumference, height, and BMI.

ACFT Calculator (Army Combat Fitness Test)

Calculate your score for the new US Army fitness test (Age/Gender normed).