PERC Rule for Pulmonary Embolism

Introduction to PERC Rule for Pulmonary Embolism

The Pulmonary Embolism Rule-out Criteria (PERC) helps in identifying patients with a low clinical probability of acute pulmonary embolism (PE). The rule is based on absence of clinical signs and symptoms that are very unlikely to be associated with PE. The included criteria are age, heart rate, oxygen saturation, respiratory rate, history of PE, and recent surgery or fracture. The rule helps determine whether further testing for PE is necessary.

Parameters:

• age: Patient's age
• heartRate: Heart rate in beats per minute
• saO2: Oxygen saturation in percentage
• respiratoryRate: Respiratory rate in breaths per minute
• previousPE: History of previous pulmonary embolism (yes/no)
• surgeryOrFracture: History of recent surgery or fracture (yes/no)

Output:

• result: Recommendation based on PERC rule

Data validation

The age should be a positive integer. The heart rate, oxygen saturation, and respiratory rate should be in proper ranges according to clinical standards. The previousPE and surgeryOrFracture should be 'yes' or 'no'.