Ankle-Brachial Index (ABI)
Diagnoses and quantifies severity of peripheral artery disease by comparing ankle and brachial systolic pressures
- Highest activation tier
- Mandatory
- How it is scored
- Scored in code; a detected disagreeing draft value is flagged for correction
- Scoring type
- formula
- Care settings
- Inpatient, Outpatient
When it activates
Scribeable activates a calculator from the encounter. The Ankle-Brachial Index (ABI) can activate when the transcript or pasted chart context documents any of these:
- Peripheral artery disease evaluation
- Claudication assessment
- Arterial insufficiency workup
- Lower extremity wound with arterial concern
- Cardiovascular risk stratification
A coded diagnosis can also activate it. ICD-10 prefixes carried by the registry: I70, I73.
Inputs the note needs
2 inputs. Each is resolved from the transcript, the pasted chart context and charted labs; an input marked "asks you" is requested as a clarification when it is undocumented.
| Input | Type | Unit / options | Guidance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Higher of dorsalis pedis or posterior tibial systolic pressure (mmHg) | vital | mmHg | |
| Higher of right or left brachial systolic pressure (mmHg) | vital | mmHg |
Scoring
ABI = ankle systolic pressure / brachial systolic pressure. Measure bilaterally; report the lower ABI.
ABI = Higher of dorsalis pedis or posterior tibial systolic pressure (mmHg) / Higher of right or left brachial systolic pressure (mmHg)
Interpretation
>1.40: Non-compressible (calcified vessels) — unreliable, use toe-brachial index or other studies. 1.00-1.40: Normal. 0.91-0.99: Borderline — consider exercise ABI. 0.41-0.90: Mild-to-moderate PAD — claudication management (exercise, cilostazol, risk factor modification). <=0.40: Severe PAD — critical limb ischemia likely, vascular surgery referral. ABI <0.90 is an independent cardiovascular risk factor (ASCVD risk enhancer).
Evidence
Sources carried in Scribeable's citation registry for this calculator; guideline version: ACC/AHA PAD 2016.
- Gerhard-Herman MD et al. AHA/ACC Guideline on the Management of Patients With Lower Extremity Peripheral Artery Disease (ABI)ACC/AHA PAD (ABI) 2016 · 2016 · AHA/ACC · Class I, LOE A · link last verified 2026-03-28
How Scribeable handles it in the note
When an encounter activates the Ankle-Brachial Index (ABI) at the mandatory tier, Scribeable resolves its inputs from the transcript, the pasted chart context and any charted labs, and asks you for a missing input you can supply before the note is finalised. Bedside-exam and separately ordered study values are not requested one input at a time; a calculator that carries a combined clarification question may still put that single question to you.
The score is computed in code from the resolved inputs, not recalled by the language model. If the draft states a Ankle-Brachial Index (ABI) value that disagrees with the computed one, the disagreement is flagged to the second drafting pass, which is instructed to correct the score and its interpretation before you see the note.
Classified as a risk score: activated strictly, by a documented trigger, never by a permissive reading of the encounter.
See it activate on your own encounter
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