AHEAD Score (Acute HF Death Prediction) Calculator

AHEAD score - Explanation and clinical context The AHEAD score is a simple bedside risk classification tool developed to estimate short- and long-term prognosis in patients hospitalized for acute heart failure. It includes five binary items (each scores 1 point): Atrial fibrillation (present on admission or known AF), Haemoglobin below sex-specific thresholds (<130 g/L in men; <120 g/L in women), Elderly age (age > 70 years), Abnormal renal parameters (serum creatinine > 130 µmol/L), and Diabetes mellitus. The total score ranges 0–5; in the original derivation cohort the observed 1-year all-cause mortality by score 0→5 was approximately 13.6%, 23.4%, 32.0%, 41.1%, 47.7%, and 58.2%, respectively - making the score useful for early risk stratification of hospitalized acute HF patients.

This tool was derived and validated on large multicenter registries and should be applied in the clinical context (it does not replace clinical judgement).