Interpretation
| Result | Meaning |
|---|---|
| < 26 | Low risk (1.6% PPC) |
| 26–44 | Intermediate risk (13.3%) |
| ≥ 45 | High risk (42.1%) |
Formula
Age ≤50 0 · 51–80 3 · >80 16. SpO₂ ≥96% 0 · 91–95% 8 · ≤90% 24. Respiratory infection in last month 17. Anemia (Hb ≤10 g/dL) 11. Incision: peripheral 0 · upper abdominal 15 · intrathoracic 24. Duration <2 h 0 · 2–3 h 16 · >3 h 23. Emergency 8.
Clinical pearls
- Complication rates are those of the validation subsample in Canet 2010; the outcome is a composite (respiratory infection or failure, bronchospasm, atelectasis, effusion, pneumothorax, aspiration).
- Measure SpO₂ on room air with the patient supine and at rest before induction.
- Validated externally in the European PERISCOPE cohort (Mazo 2014), where it remained discriminative.
Examples
ariscat 72 yo spo2 94 upper abdominal surgery 3.5 hours electivepostoperative pulmonary complication risk for an 85 year old, sats 90%, recent chest infection, thoracotomy lasting 4 hours, emergencyariscat 45M spo2 98 peripheral 1 hour
FAQ
What ARISCAT score is high risk?
A score of 45 or more is high risk, with about 42% of patients developing a postoperative pulmonary complication in the validation cohort.
Does ARISCAT include COPD or smoking?
No. Neither entered the final model; the seven predictors are age, SpO₂, recent respiratory infection, anemia, incision site, duration and emergency surgery.