What does the Glasgow-Blatchford Score measure?

GBS predicts whether a patient with acute upper GI bleeding will require a clinical intervention — blood transfusion, endoscopic hemostasis, or surgery. A score of 0 has a very high negative predictive value for needing any intervention.

How is GBS different from the Rockall Score?

GBS is a pure pre-endoscopy tool focused on predicting intervention need. The Rockall Score has both pre- and post-endoscopy versions and focuses on rebleeding and mortality. GBS is generally preferred for initial triage before endoscopy; Rockall Score is more useful after endoscopic findings are known.

How does GBS compare to AIMS65?

GBS outperforms AIMS65 for predicting the need for intervention. AIMS65 (albumin, INR, mental status, systolic BP, age) is simpler and performs similarly to GBS for predicting in-hospital mortality. Many guidelines recommend using both tools together.

What units should I use for BUN?

The original GBS used blood urea in mmol/L. This calculator accepts mg/dL or mmol/L and converts automatically. To convert mg/dL to mmol/L divide by 2.8 (or use the unit selector).

Does a score of 0 mean the patient can always go home?

A score of 0 predicts very low intervention risk (< 1%) and identifies patients suitable for outpatient management per most guidelines. However, the final decision must incorporate clinical judgment, patient stability, social factors, and local protocols.

Is this tool a substitute for clinical judgment?

No. GBS is a decision-support tool for educational purposes. All management decisions must be made by qualified clinicians who interpret the score in the full clinical context, including endoscopy findings, local resources, and patient-specific factors.

Glasgow-Blatchford Score — Detailed GI Bleed Risk Calculator

Score	Risk Level	Intervention	Rebleed	Mortality	Suggested Action
0	Very Low	< 1%	~1%	~0%	Outpatient management; scheduled endoscopy
1–2	Low	~5–10%	~2–4%	< 1%	Admit; consider early discharge with follow-up
3–5	Moderate	~25–40%	~5–8%	~1–3%	Inpatient; elective endoscopy within 24 h
6–9	High	~50–70%	~10–15%	~3–7%	Urgent endoscopy; resuscitate; IV PPI
10–12	Very High	> 75%	~18–25%	~8–12%	Emergency endoscopy; ICU; surgical backup
≥ 13	Critical	> 90%	> 30%	> 15%	Emergency endoscopy; active resuscitation; MDT

Summary

Enter BUN, hemoglobin, blood pressure, pulse, and clinical features to calculate the Glasgow-Blatchford Score with per-point intervention, rebleeding, and mortality estimates.

How it works

Enter the blood urea nitrogen (BUN) in mg/dL or mmol/L — higher BUN signals significant blood absorption from the gut.
Select patient sex and enter hemoglobin — lower hemoglobin indicates greater blood loss.
Choose the systolic blood pressure range — hypotension carries up to 3 points.
Select the pulse rate — tachycardia adds 1 point.
Check any presentation features: melena (1 pt) or syncope (2 pts).
Mark comorbidities: hepatic disease and cardiac failure each add 2 points.
The calculator scores in real time and shows intervention, rebleed, and mortality estimates for the computed total.

Use cases

Triage upper GI bleed patients in the ED before endoscopy.
Identify score-0 patients safe for early discharge or outpatient management.
Guide urgency decisions for endoscopy scheduling.
Communicate objective risk across the GI, ED, and ICU teams.
Compare GBS risk against AIMS65 mortality estimate for the same patient.
Educate residents and students on systematic UGIB risk stratification.

Glasgow-Blatchford Score (Detailed)

Clinical Parameters

GBS Score Reference — Detailed Risk Estimates