PANC 3 Score (Severe Acute Pancreatitis at Admission)

The PANC 3 score (Brown and colleagues 2007) predicts severe acute pancreatitis from three items available at admission.

Open the calculator → Runs in your browser. Data leaves only if you deliberately send a problem report from the interactive tool.

Example

Hematocrit as a PERCENTAGE
46 %
Body mass index in kg/m squared
32 kg/m^2
Pleural effusion on the chest radiograph
Yes

Result: 3

The tool opens with these values already filled in. Replace them with your own.

What the result means

Units
Reproductions print hematocrit as "mg/dL" (it is a PERCENTAGE) and BMI as "mg/kg squared". The values are right; those units are not.
Asymmetry
RULE-IN test: specificity 96-100%, sensitivity 50-75%. A NEGATIVE result misses a quarter to a half of severe cases.
Timing
AN ADMISSION SCORE - its whole reason for existing, since ranson-bisap and glasgow-imrie need 48 HOURS.
Outcome
Predicts organ failure PERSISTING BEYOND 48 HOURS, graded by the modified Marshall score.
Enzymes
Amylase and lipase are NOT inputs. The enzymes that diagnose pancreatitis play no part in predicting its severity.
Scope
Severity in an ESTABLISHED diagnosis. A negative result is NOT a reason to withhold monitoring.

What you enter

  • Hematocrit as a PERCENTAGE.
  • Body mass index in kg/m squared.
  • Pleural effusion on the chest radiograph.
Full field descriptions
  • Hematocrit as a PERCENTAGE. Positive above 44. Reproductions print this unit as "mg/dL", which is wrong - hematocrit has no mass concentration.
  • Body mass index in kg/m squared. Positive above 30. Reproductions print this unit as "mg/kg squared", which is wrong.
How this is calculated
Rule
ALL THREE required. The score runs 0-3 and only a 3 is positive. TWO OF THREE IS NEGATIVE - a "2 or more" threshold over-calls severity.
Criteria
Hematocrit above 44 PERCENT; BMI above 30 kg/m^2; pleural effusion on chest radiograph.

Brown A, James-Stevenson T, Dyson T, Grunkenmeier D. The Panc 3 score: a rapid and accurate test for predicting severity on presentation in acute pancreatitis. J Clin Gastroenterol. 2007;41(9):855-858. Read the source ↗

A reference and educational tool. Not medical, legal, or financial advice, and not a substitute for clinician judgment.

Browse all tools

Built by Clay Good. Source on GitHub.