Ottawa COPD Risk Scale
Ottawa COPD Risk Scale — a 0-16 score for short-term serious outcomes in ED patients with acute COPD exacerbation.
Open the calculator → Runs in your browser. Data leaves only if you deliberately send a problem report from the interactive tool.
Example
- Hemoglobin < 10 g/dL
- Yes
- Heart rate >= 110/min on arrival
- Yes
Result: Ottawa COPD 5 of 16 — high short-term serious-outcome risk.
The tool opens with these values already filled in. Replace them with your own.
What the result means
- 0-1
- Low short-term serious-outcome risk (~2-5% in the derivation).
- 2-4
- Moderate, rising short-term serious-outcome risk.
- 5-9
- High short-term serious-outcome risk.
- >= 10
- Very high short-term serious-outcome risk (~91% at 10 in the derivation). A risk band, not an admission or discharge order.
What you enter
- Prior coronary bypass graft (+1)
- Prior peripheral-vascular-disease intervention (+1)
- Prior intubation for respiratory distress (+2)
- Heart rate >= 110/min on arrival (+2)
- Too ill for walk test, or SaO2 < 90% / HR >= 120 on it (+2)
- Acute ischemic change on ECG (+2)
- Pulmonary congestion on chest x-ray (+1)
- Hemoglobin < 10 g/dL (+3)
The other 2 fields
- Urea >= 12 mmol/L (+1)
- Serum bicarbonate >= 35 mEq/L (+1)
How this is calculated
Stiell IG, Clement CM, Aaron SD, et al. Clinical characteristics associated with adverse events in patients with exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a prospective cohort study. CMAJ. 2014;186(6):E193-E204. Read the source ↗
A reference and educational tool. Not medical, legal, or financial advice, and not a substitute for clinician judgment.