Ranson Criteria Calculator

Enter five admission criteria and six 48-hour criteria to calculate the Ranson score and estimate mortality risk in acute pancreatitis.

Use the Ranson Criteria Calculator

For educational use only. Not a substitute for clinical judgment. All pancreatitis management decisions must be made by qualified clinicians based on full patient assessment.

At Admission (5 criteria)

Recorded at the time of hospital admission.

years
/mm³
mg/dL
IU/L
IU/L

At 48 Hours (6 criteria)

Reassessed 48 hours after admission. Leave blank if not yet available.

% points

Enter the absolute drop in hematocrit (admission minus 48-hour value).

mg/dL

Enter the increase in BUN from admission to 48 hours (48h minus admission value).

mg/dL
mmHg
mEq/L

Enter as a positive number (e.g., enter 5 if base deficit is -5).

liters

Enter the criteria above
and click Calculate.

Score Interpretation & Mortality Risk

0 – 2
Mild
< 1% mortality
Low risk. Standard ward care.
3 – 4
Moderate
~15% mortality
Significant risk. Stepdown or HDU care.
5 – 6
Severe
~40% mortality
High risk. ICU admission warranted.
7 – 11
Critical
> 99% mortality
Critical. Intensive intervention required.

Summary

The Ranson Criteria is a validated clinical scoring system used to predict the severity and mortality risk of acute pancreatitis. First described by John Ranson in 1974, the score uses five criteria assessed at hospital admission and six additional criteria evaluated at 48 hours after admission, for a maximum total of 11 points. Scores below 3 indicate mild disease with a mortality rate under 1%, scores of 3 to 4 indicate moderate severity with approximately 15% mortality, and scores of 5 or more indicate severe pancreatitis with mortality rates exceeding 40%. The score is widely used in emergency and gastrointestinal medicine to guide triage, ICU admission decisions, and early resource allocation for patients with acute pancreatitis.

How it works

  1. Enter the five criteria assessed at hospital admission: age, white blood cell count, blood glucose, serum LDH, and AST.
  2. Enter the six criteria assessed 48 hours after admission: hematocrit fall, BUN rise, serum calcium, PaO2, base deficit, and fluid sequestration.
  3. Each criterion present scores 1 point; the maximum total is 11 points.
  4. The calculator sums all positive criteria and displays the total Ranson score.
  5. Interpret the result using the mortality risk bands: score 0–2 (mild, <1%), 3–4 (moderate, ~15%), 5–6 (severe, ~40%), 7+ (critical, >99%).
  6. Use the score alongside clinical judgment to guide decisions about ICU admission and level of care.

Use cases

  • Estimate early mortality risk in patients admitted with acute pancreatitis.
  • Support decisions about ICU admission or step-down care based on disease severity.
  • Communicate pancreatitis severity to consulting surgical or gastroenterology teams.
  • Triage high-risk patients for early aggressive fluid resuscitation and monitoring.
  • Serve as an educational reference for medical students and residents learning pancreatitis management.
  • Use serially with 48-hour reassessment to track progression of disease severity.
  • Complement imaging findings (CT severity index) in assessing pancreatic necrosis risk.
  • Document severity at admission for audit, research, and quality improvement purposes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Last updated: 2026-09-30 · Reviewed by Nham Vu