For healthcare professionals
Padua prediction score calculator
The Padua Prediction Score is a risk assessment model for venous thromboembolism (VTE), meaning deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism, in patients admitted to a medical ward. Eleven items score 1 to 3 points; a total of 4 or more marks the high-risk group. It is written for clinicians and is not a diagnosis.
Risk factors at admission
Tick each item that applies to the patient. Nothing you enter leaves this page.
What you will see
The Padua score from 0 to 20, the points for each item and the risk group (low under 4, high 4 or more), with the VTE rates seen in the original cohort.
Educational only, not medical advice. Not a diagnosis. The score does not detect a clot that is already present.
Source
Barbar S et al., Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis 2010 (original study, abstract), with the items and points as printed in two open-access (CC BY) papers: Table 4 of Liu et al., Clinics 2026, and section 2.4 of Sartori et al., Hematology Reports 2024. The tests check every item's points and the cut point of 4.
Validated in
A prospective cohort of 1,180 consecutive patients admitted to a department of internal medicine over 2 years and followed for up to 90 days for symptomatic VTE (Barbar 2010). Later studies applied it to other medical inpatients, among them 505 medical ward patients with suspected leg DVT (Sartori 2024).
Limits
For adults admitted to a medical (non-surgical) ward. It was not built for surgical patients, outpatients or pregnancy. It sorts patients into a risk group for prevention decisions; it is not a test for a clot that is already present. In Sartori 2024, high-risk patients had more proximal DVT than low-risk patients, while the difference in isolated distal DVT was not statistically significant. It does not score bleeding risk.
Padua scoring
Add the points for each item present. A total under 4 is low risk and 4 or more is high risk of VTE (Sartori 2024) (Liu 2026).
| Item | Points |
|---|---|
| Active cancer (local or distant metastases, or chemotherapy or radiotherapy in the previous 6 months) | 3 |
| Previous VTE (excluding superficial vein thrombosis) | 3 |
| Reduced mobility (bed rest for at least 3 days) | 3 |
| Already known thrombophilic condition | 3 |
| Recent (1 month or less) trauma and/or surgery | 2 |
| Age 70 or over | 1 |
| Heart and/or respiratory failure | 1 |
| Acute myocardial infarction or ischemic stroke | 1 |
| Acute infection and/or rheumatologic disorder | 1 |
| Obesity (BMI 30 or over) | 1 |
| Ongoing hormonal treatment | 1 |
Source: Table 4 of Liu et al., 2026 (Liu 2026), which reprints the original Padua Prediction Score with its definitions; the same items and points are listed in Sartori et al., 2024 (Sartori 2024).
What the original study found
In the Padua cohort, 469 of 1,180 patients (39.7%) were high risk. Symptomatic VTE within 90 days occurred in 31 of 283 high-risk patients (11.0%) who did not receive thromboprophylaxis, in 4 of 186 (2.2%) who did, and in 2 of 711 low-risk patients (0.3%). Bleeding occurred in 3 of the 186 (1.6%) high-risk patients who received prophylaxis (Barbar 2010).
Related tools
The Padua score estimates the risk of a future clot. When a clot is already suspected, see the Wells score for DVT for a swollen or painful leg and the Wells score for PE and PERC rule for suspected pulmonary embolism. Once PE is confirmed, the PESI score calculator gives the 30-day mortality class. For surgical patients, the Caprini score is the matching VTE risk model. For bleeding risk in people with atrial fibrillation who take a blood thinner, see the HAS-BLED score.
Sources
- Barbar S, Noventa F, Rossetto V, et al. A risk assessment model for the identification of hospitalized medical patients at risk for venous thromboembolism: the Padua Prediction Score. J Thromb Haemost. 2010;8(11):2450-2457. doi:10.1111/j.1538-7836.2010.04044.x. PMID 20738765. Abstract. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20738765/
- Sartori M, Fiocca M, Soldati M, Borgese L, Favaretto E, Cosmi B. Padua Prediction Score and hospital-acquired proximal and isolated distal deep vein thrombosis in symptomatic patients. Hematol Rep. 2024;16(4):568-578. doi:10.3390/hematolrep16040055. PMID 39449298. Open access (CC BY 4.0). Section 2.4 (Padua Prediction Score items and points) and Table 2 (low risk under 4, high risk 4 or more). pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11503401/
- Liu S, Feng C, Yu Y, Xu R, Ma L, Dai Z, Huang X. Modification and validation of the Padua prediction score for assessing the risk of venous thromboembolism in medical inpatients: a case-control study. Clinics (Sao Paulo). 2026;81:101071. doi:10.1016/j.clinsp.2026.101071. PMID 42685376. Open access (CC BY 4.0). Table 4 (Padua prediction score items, points and definitions). pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13571291/
Written and maintained by the uncovermyrisk.com editorial team. We do not have a medical reviewer; every claim links to its primary source above. Last reviewed: 2026-11-01. Spotted an error? See About.