The Glasgow-Blatchford score (GBS) is a widely-used and well-validated scoring system for upper GI bleeding and the need for intervention.
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Score
The scoring system relies upon knowing the patient's urea, hemoglobin, systolic blood pressure, and several other criteria. Each criterion is scored, and the points added together to give a single overall score.
Urea (mg/dL)
- <18.2 0 points
- 18.2-22.3 2 points
- 22.4-28 3 points
- 28-70 4 points
- >70 6 points
Hemoglobin (g/dL) - men
- >13 0 points
- 12-13 1 points
- 10-12 3 points
- <10 6 points
Hemoglobin (g/dL) - women
- >12 0 points
- 10-1 1 points
- <10 6 points
Systolic BP (mm Hg)
- ≥110 0 points
- 100–109 1 points
- 90–99 2 points
- <90 3 points
Other criteria
- pulse ≥100 per min 1 point
- melena present 1 point
- presentation with syncope 2 points
- liver disease history 2 points
- cardiac failure present 2 points
Evaluation
- score may be anything from 0 to 23
- score is 0: low risk - may be discharged home
- score >0: high risk for active intervention
- transfusion, endoscopy, or surgery
History and etymology
The Glasgow-Blatchford score was devised by a (now retired) Scottish public health specialist Oliver Blatchford (fl. 2022) et al, from studying a large population of patients in the city of Glasgow in 1997 1.
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