Killip Class Calculator

How it is calculated

There is no formula here: the tool is a lookup table. You enter the Killip class as a whole number from 1 to 4, and it returns a fixed in-hospital mortality figure for that class: class 1 gives 6 %, class 2 gives 17 %, class 3 gives 38 % and class 4 gives 81 %. The label is the class written in Roman numerals (Killip I to Killip IV).

The class itself is not calculated from symptoms; it comes from the bedside examination described by the classification (I no signs of heart failure, II mild rales or an S3 gallop, III overt pulmonary oedema, IV cardiogenic shock) and you pick it yourself. Anything other than 1, 2, 3 or 4 (a decimal such as 2.5, 0, 5, or a Roman numeral typed as text) returns no result. The percentages are fixed population-level values, not a prediction for one patient, and this is an educational tool, not a medical device.

Common mistakes

• Typing the class as a Roman numeral (II) or as a decimal (2.5). Only the whole numbers 1, 2, 3 and 4 are accepted.
• Treating the percentage as this patient's personal risk. It is one fixed figure per class and ignores age, blood pressure, treatment and every other factor.
• Using it for heart failure that is not related to an acute myocardial infarction. The classification and these figures refer to heart failure after an acute MI only.
• Entering a class from an old examination note without re-checking. The class describes the findings at the time of assessment and can change as the patient improves or worsens.
• Expecting the class to be derived from test results. Nothing is calculated from imaging or labs; the class is an input you must judge from the physical exam.