π DASI Functional Capacity Quiz
12 questions to your DASI score, VO2peak, and METs.
Educational. Preoperative and cardiac decisions belong to your clinical team.
Can you climb a flight of stairs? That question predicts surgical risk better than many lab tests. The Duke Activity Status Index turns 12 yes/no questions about daily activities into a DASI score (0-58.2), an estimated VO2peak, and METs, the functional capacity numbers anesthesiologists and cardiologists use. Answer honestly above.
How to Use This Quiz
Check every activity you can do without significant symptoms. The score, VO2peak, and METs compute instantly.
Answer for what you can actually do, not what you used to do or think you should do.
Read your DASI score and estimated METs: under 4 METs is poor functional capacity.
Bring the number to preoperative or cardiology visits; it is the lingua franca of functional capacity.
The 12 Items and the Math
Hlatky and colleagues developed DASI in 1989, weighting each activity by its measured oxygen cost, which is why running a short distance (8.0) outweighs walking indoors (1.75). The VO2peak regression was validated against exercise testing: the questionnaire estimates what the treadmill would measure, within useful error. METs divide by 3.5 mL/kg/min, the resting oxygen cost, so 7 METs means seven times resting metabolism.
The 4-MET threshold is the clinical hinge: below it, perioperative cardiac risk rises and guidelines suggest further evaluation before non-emergency surgery. Four METs is roughly climbing a flight of stairs or walking up a hill; it is the "can you" question behind the number. Above 7 METs, functional capacity is good and rarely limits surgical decisions.
Worked Example
Yes to self-care through yardwork (the first 9 items): 2.75+1.75+2.75+5.50+8.0+2.7+3.5+8.0+4.5 = 39.45. VO2peak = 0.43 x 39.45 + 9.6 = 26.6 mL/kg/min. METs = 26.6/3.5 = 7.6: good functional capacity, above the 4-MET hinge. Now only the first 4 items (through stairs): 2.75+1.75+2.75+5.50 = 12.75, VO2peak 15.1, METs 4.3: just above the threshold, and any planned surgery deserves a cardiology look. The heavy items carry the score because they cost the most oxygen.
Where DASI Gets Used
Preoperative assessment is the flagship: the ACC/AHA perioperative guidelines use functional capacity (in METs) to decide who needs stress testing before noncardiac surgery. Cardiology uses it to track heart failure and angina limitations over time. Rehabilitation uses it to set exercise prescriptions. Researchers love it because it is free, takes a minute, and correlates with outcomes: low DASI predicts mortality after surgery and in heart failure cohorts.
Its limits: it measures what people say they do, and people overestimate. Orthopedic limitations (bad knees) lower the score without reflecting cardiac fitness, which is why the clinician interprets it in context. And it tops out: athletes max it at 58.2 (~9.9 METs) while their true capacity runs far higher. For the perioperative and cardiac populations it was built for, though, it remains one of the best-validated questionnaires in medicine.
Improving Your Number
Functional capacity responds to training at every age: progressive walking, then hills, then stairs, builds the exact capacities the questionnaire measures. Cardiac rehab exists for this purpose after heart events. Strength training adds the reserve that makes stairs and housework easy. The DASI items are also a reasonable activity menu: if you cannot yet check "climb a flight of stairs," that is both the test and the training goal. Retake the quiz quarterly; the trend is the report card.
Related Calculators
Keep exploring: try our BMI calculator and calorie needs (TDEE) for the next piece of the picture.
For informational purposes only, not medical advice. Consult a healthcare professional.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DASI score?
The Duke Activity Status Index: 12 yes/no questions about daily activities, weighted by oxygen cost, summing to 0-58.2. It estimates VO2peak (0.43 x DASI + 9.6) and METs, measuring functional capacity for preoperative and cardiac assessment.
How do you calculate METs from DASI?
METs = (0.43 x DASI + 9.6) / 3.5. Example: DASI 36.7 gives VO2peak 25.4 and 7.3 METs. This calculator does it automatically from your checked activities.
What is a good DASI score?
Above ~46 (over 7 METs) is good functional capacity. Below 34 (under 4 METs) is poor and raises perioperative risk. The 4-MET threshold is the key clinical hinge in surgical guidelines.
Why do doctors ask about climbing stairs before surgery?
Because it tests ~4 METs of functional capacity, the threshold below which perioperative cardiac risk rises. The DASI questionnaire formalizes this bedside question into a validated score.
How accurate is DASI versus exercise testing?
Well-validated: the VO2peak regression was derived against measured exercise testing and performs usefully for risk stratification. It is a screening estimate, not a replacement for cardiopulmonary exercise testing when precision matters.
What does 4 METs mean?
Four times resting metabolic rate: roughly climbing a flight of stairs, walking up a hill, or doing heavy housework. Below 4 METs, guidelines suggest further cardiac evaluation before elective noncardiac surgery.
Can DASI track heart failure?
Yes. It is used to follow functional limitation in heart failure and angina over time, since the activities it asks about are exactly what cardiac symptoms curtail. Worsening scores prompt clinical reassessment.
Does orthopedic pain affect DASI?
Yes, and this is its known limitation: bad knees or hips lower the score without reflecting cardiac fitness. Clinicians interpret the score in context, separating musculoskeletal from cardiopulmonary limitation.
Who developed the DASI?
Hlatky, Boineau, Higginbotham and colleagues, published in 1989. It remains one of the most cited functional capacity instruments, embedded in perioperative guidelines worldwide.
How can I improve my DASI score?
Progressive aerobic training: walking, then hills, then stairs, plus strength training. Cardiac rehab programs do exactly this. Retake the quiz every few months; the trend measures your progress.