Tools and scores for general and cardiovascular perioperative risk assessment: a narrative review

• Published in: Revista do Colegio Brasileiro de Cirurgioes Vol. 49; p. e20223124
• Main Authors: Moraes, Caio Mazzonetto Teófilo DE, Corrêa, Luisa DE Mendonça, Procópio, Ricardo Jayme, Carmo, Gabriel Assis Lopes DO, Navarro, Tulio Pinho
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Brazil Colégio Brasileiro de Cirurgiões 2022
• Subjects: Brazil; Decision Support Techniques; General Surgery; Heart Disease Risk Factors; Perioperative Period; Physical Examination; Postoperative Complications; Review; Risk Assessment; Risk Assessment - methods; Brazil
• ISSN: 0100-6991; 1809-4546
• DOI: 10.1590/0100-6991e-20223124

The number of surgical procedures in the world is large and in Brazil it has been expressing a growth trend higher than the population growth. In this context, perioperative risk assessment safeguards the optimization of the outcomes sought by the procedures. For this evaluation, anamnesis and physical examination constitute an irreplaceable initial stage which may or may not be followed by complementary exams, interventions for clinical stabilization and application of risk estimation tools. The use of these tools can be very useful in order to obtain objective data for decision making by weighing surgical risk and benefit. Global and cardiovascular risk assessments are of greatest interest in the preoperative period, however information about their methods is scattered in the literature. Some tools such as the American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status (ASA PS) and the Revised Cardiac Risk Index (RCRI) are more widely known, while others are less known but can provide valuable information. Here, the main indices, scores and calculators that address general and cardiovascular perioperative risk were detailed.