CURB-65, also known as the CURB criteria.
It is a clinical prediction rule for predicting mortality in community-acquired pneumonia and infection of any site.
The score is an acronym for each of the risk factors measured.
Each risk factor scores one point, for a maximum score of 5:
Confusion of new onset.
Blood Urea nitrogen greater than 19 mg/dL.
Respiratory rate of 30 breaths per minute or greater.
Blood pressure less than 90 mmHg systolic or diastolic blood pressure 60 mmHg or less
Age 65 or older
The risk of death at 30 days increases as the score increases:
0―0.6%
1―2.7%
2―6.8%
3―14.0%
4―27.8%
5―27.8%
Compared to the pneumonia severity index (PSI) in predicting mortality from pneumonia: the PSI has a higher discriminatory power for short-term mortality, and thus is more accurate for low risk patients than the CURB-65
PSI is more complicated and requires arterial blood gas sampling amongst other tests.
CURB-65 score is more easily used in primary care settings.
The CURB-65 is used as a means of deciding the action that is needed to be taken for that patient.
0-1: Treat as an outpatient.
2: Consider a short stay in hospital or watch very closely as an outpatient
3-5: Requires hospitalization with consideration as to whether they need to be in the intensive care unit.
In patients with any type of infection the risk of death increases as the score increases:
0 to 1 <5% mortality
2 to 3 < 10% mortality
4 to 5 15-30% mortality