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ARISCAT postoperative pulmonary complications score

Also called ARISCAT, Canet score, PPC risk, postoperative pulmonary complication risk

Seven-factor risk index for postoperative pulmonary complications after surgery under general, neuraxial or regional anaesthesia.

Age
Preoperative SpO₂ (room air)
Surgical incision
Duration of surgery

Fill 4 more fields to see the result.

Formula and scoring

Age 51–80 = 3, > 80 = 16; SpO₂ 91–95% = 8, ≤ 90% = 24; respiratory infection last month = 17; Hb ≤ 10 g/dL = 11; upper abdominal incision = 15, intrathoracic = 24; duration 2–3 h = 16, > 3 h = 23; emergency = 8. Low < 26, intermediate 26–44, high ≥ 45.

Exam and ward pearls

  • Low preoperative SpO₂ and intrathoracic surgery carry the most points (24 each).
  • PPC here is a composite: respiratory infection, respiratory failure, bronchospasm, atelectasis, pleural effusion, pneumothorax or aspiration pneumonitis.

When not to rely on it

  • Single-region (Catalonia) derivation; an Indian laparotomy cohort (Cureus 2025) and an upper-abdominal cancer cohort found poor discrimination, so treat the class as a prompt rather than a precise risk.

Source

  1. Canet J, Gallart L, Gomar C, et al. Prediction of postoperative pulmonary complications in a population-based surgical cohort. Anesthesiology. 2010;113(6):1338-50. doi:10.1097/ALN.0b013e3181fc6e0a · PMID 21045639
  2. de Moraes CMT, Corrêa LM, Procópio RJ, et al. Tools and scores for perioperative pulmonary, renal, hepatobiliary, hematological, and surgical site infection risk assessment: an update. Rev Col Bras Cir. 2022;49 (open-access reproduction of the ARISCAT point table and risk classes, used to check the values). doi:10.1590/0100-6991e-20223125-en · PMID 35858034

Formula and cut-offs checked against these sources on 8 Nov 2026. Educational tool for clinicians; it does not replace clinical judgement.

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