30-day mortality risk after acute PE. Free to use.
sPESI (Simplified Pulmonary Embolism Severity Index) is a validated clinical instrument used to assess 30-day mortality risk after acute pe. The instrument contains 6 items.
Source / attribution: Jiménez D et al., Arch Intern Med 2010
Like all screening or assessment instruments, sPESI is a structured aid — not a diagnostic test in isolation. Results should be interpreted alongside history, examination, and clinical context. Where a score crosses an actionable threshold, the next step is typically a more detailed clinical evaluation rather than a definitive diagnosis.
Answer all 6 items below to see your sPESI score and interpretation.
All scoring runs in your browser. No data is sent anywhere — close the tab and the answers are gone.
sPESI uses weighted summation: each item carries a fixed weight that is added when the response indicates a positive finding.
Scoring notes: Educational use only.
The cutoffs below are drawn from the published validation literature. Always interpret in clinical context.
| Score range | Band | Interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| 0–0 | Low risk | Low 30-day mortality risk. |
| 1–6 | High risk | Higher 30-day mortality risk. |
This is an illustrative walkthrough, not a real patient. Follow the same four steps with your own answers — or use the live calculator at the top of this page.
Mark each item Yes or No. Each "Yes" adds the item's weight; each "No" adds 0. The example below uses illustrative answers.
| # | Item | Example response | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Age > 80 | Yes | 1 |
| 2 | History of cancer | Yes | 1 |
| 3 | Chronic cardiopulmonary disease | Yes | 1 |
| 4 | HR ≥ 110 bpm | No | 0 |
| 5 | SBP < 100 mmHg | Yes | 1 |
| 6 | SaO2 < 90% | No | 0 |
Add the weights from the items where you marked "Yes" (skip the "No" answers — they contribute 0).
1 + 1 + 1 + 0 + 1 + 0 = 4
Find the row in the interpretation table whose range contains your total:
Total = 4 falls between 1 and 6 → High risk
High risk. 30-day mortality 10.9%.
A score is one input alongside history and examination. sPESI supports clinical judgment — it does not replace it.
If sPESI doesn't fit your context, related instruments in pulmonology include:
| Scale | Measures | Items | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| CURB-65 | 30-day mortality in community-acquired pneumonia | 5 | — |
| mMRC Dyspnea Scale | Functional impact of breathlessness | 1 | — |
| PERC Rule | Rule out PE in low-risk patients | 8 | — |
| Wells Score (PE) | Pre-test probability of pulmonary embolism | 7 | — |
| APGAR Score | Rapid assessment of newborn at 1 and 5 min | 5 | — |
| ASA Physical Status | Pre-operative health status | 1 | — |
| CHA2DS2-VASc | Annual stroke risk in non-valvular atrial fibrillation | 8 | — |
| Glasgow Coma Scale | Level of consciousness after head injury | 3 | — |
sPESI (Simplified Pulmonary Embolism Severity Index) is a validated instrument that assesses 30-day mortality risk after acute PE. It is designed for clinicians, medical students, evidence-synthesis researchers. The 6 items are combined to produce a total score.
sPESI contains 6 items. Item scores are combined with weighted scoring to produce the total. Scores run from 0 to 6, grouped into 2 interpretation bands from ‘Low risk’ up to ‘High risk’.
On the sPESI (total score 0–6), scores of 1–6 fall in the ‘High risk’ band — interpreted as: Higher 30-day mortality risk. The full ladder is: 0 — Low risk: Low 30-day mortality risk.; 1–6 — High risk: Higher 30-day mortality risk. A higher score reflects a more severe presentation, and crossing a cutoff is a prompt to step up assessment or care — but these bands are screening thresholds, not diagnoses.
Scores of 0 fall in the ‘Low risk’ band: Low 30-day mortality risk. A low score is reassuring but does not by itself rule out the underlying condition — if symptoms or clinical suspicion persist, reassess over time or use a complementary evaluation rather than relying on the number alone.
Yes — sPESI is in the public domain and free for clinical, educational, and research use without permission. You can use this calculator and the scale itself freely; if you publish results or reproduce the scale, cite the original source paper.
Jiménez D et al. Arch Intern Med. 2010;170(15):1383-1389. This is the original publication for the sPESI — the reference to cite when reporting results.
No. sPESI is a structured assessment aid, not a diagnostic test. Its proper role is clinical assessment of 30-day mortality risk after acute PE — it standardizes assessment and flags who needs closer evaluation, but the result must be weighed alongside history, examination, and clinical context. When a score conflicts with your clinical impression, clinical judgment takes precedence; treatment decisions should never rest on a screening score alone.
sPESI is supported by the following peer-reviewed sources: