All Pathways
CardiologyRisk Assessment

Preoperative Cardiac Risk Assessment (ESC 2022)

Preoperative Cardiac Risk Assessment (ESC 2022): Noncardiac Surgery Planned → Calculate RCRI → RCRI Score? → RCRI 0 (0.4% MACE) → Proceed to Surgery.

Interactive Decision Tree

Mini Map

Algorithm Steps

  1. Start

    Noncardiac Surgery Planned

    Cardiac risk assessment needed

    1. Action

      Calculate RCRI

      Revised Cardiac Risk Index

      • IHD (+1)
      • HF (+1)
      • Stroke/TIA (+1)
      • Insulin DM (+1)
      • Creatinine ≥2 (+1)
      • High-risk surgery (+1)
      1. Decision

        RCRI Score?

        Risk stratification

        1. Action

          RCRI 0 (0.4% MACE)

          Low risk - proceed

          1. Outcome

            Proceed to Surgery

            With appropriate risk mitigation

        2. Action

          RCRI ≥1: Assess METs

          Functional capacity via DASI

          • Can walk 2 blocks? 4 flights?
          • <4 METs = Poor
          • >10 METs = Excellent
          1. Decision

            Functional Capacity?

            1. Action

              ≥4 METs

              Proceed to surgery

              1. Action

                Pre/Post-op Biomarkers

                Known CVD or ≥65 yo

                • hs-Troponin pre + post-op
                • BNP/NT-proBNP pre-op
                • Monitor for MINS
                1. Warning

                  Medication Management

                  Key perioperative rules

                  • Continue statins
                  • Continue chronic beta-blockers
                  • Do NOT start BB day of surgery (Class III)
            2. Action

              <4 METs or Unknown

              Further evaluation

              • Consider cardiology consult
              • Risk/benefit discussion
              • Biomarkers (BNP, troponin)

Guideline Source

2022 ESC Guidelines on Cardiovascular Assessment for Non-Cardiac Surgery

Clinical Safety Information

Clinical Decision Support — Not a Substitute for Clinical Judgment

Individual patient factors may require deviation from these recommendations.

Known Limitations

  • RCRI calculator not integrated
  • METs estimation simplified
  • Does not replace cardiology consultation for complex patients

Contraindicated Populations

pediatric

Applicable Regions

EUUS

EU: ESC 2022 NCS guidelines

US: ACC/AHA periop guidelines similar

Version 1Next review: 2027-08-01

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Preoperative Cardiac Risk Assessment (ESC 2022)?

The Preoperative Cardiac Risk Assessment (ESC 2022) is a risk assessment clinical algorithm for Cardiology. It provides a structured decision tree to guide clinical decision-making, based on 2022 ESC Guidelines on Cardiovascular Assessment for Non-Cardiac Surgery.

What guideline is the Preoperative Cardiac Risk Assessment (ESC 2022) based on?

This algorithm is based on 2022 ESC Guidelines on Cardiovascular Assessment for Non-Cardiac Surgery (DOI: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehac270).

What are the limitations of the Preoperative Cardiac Risk Assessment (ESC 2022)?

Known limitations include: RCRI calculator not integrated; METs estimation simplified; Does not replace cardiology consultation for complex patients. Individual patient factors may require deviation from these recommendations.

Get AI-Powered Analysis Alongside This Algorithm

In AttendMe.ai, the Preoperative Cardiac Risk Assessment (ESC 2022) appears automatically when your clinical question matches — alongside evidence from 3M+ peer-reviewed articles.

Try AttendMe Free