European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation (EuroSCORE): a promising mortality predictive risk stratification tool?
- Kardiocentrum, Fakultní nemocnice Královské Vinohrady a 3. lékařská fakulta Univerzity Karlovy, Praha, Česká republika.
The European System of Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation (EuroSCORE) was published in 1999 and is used for patients undergoing cardiac surgery.
Since then, its validity has been assessed by different cardiac centers in Europe, North America and Japan and has been accepted as the most accurate predictive tool in cardiac mortality after bypass surgery, combined CABG and valve surgery as well as thoracic aortic surgery.
Results from studies show that additive EuroSCORE overestimates the mortality at lower EuroSCOREs (EuroSCORE Ł 6) and underestimates mortality at high EuroSCOREs (EuroSCORE ł 10). This can lead to serious mistakes in choosing patients for cardiac surgery and can lead to serious consequences in the quality of patient care. The logistic EuroSCORE promises to resolve this problem.
Overall, EuroSCORE represents the most rigorously evaluated and most accurate scoring system in cardiac surgery.
Keywords: Additive EuroSCORE; Logistic EuroSCORE; Perioperative risk; Prognosis
Published: March 1, 2005 Show citation