STS Risk Score (SAVR): Explanation and Clinical Context The STS Risk Score is a validated tool developed by the Society of Thoracic Surgeons to estimate the risk of operative mortality and major morbidity for patients undergoing surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR).
It incorporates patient demographics, comorbidities, laboratory values, and procedural factors to produce a probability of 30-day or in-hospital mortality.
Clinicians use this score to inform preoperative counseling, risk stratification, and decisions between surgical and transcatheter approaches.
Risk interpretation: <4% = low risk, 4-8% = intermediate risk, >8% = high risk.
Reference:
O’Brien SM, et al. Ann Thorac Surg. 2018;105:1419–1428.
Nishimura RA, et al. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2021;77:e25–e197.
STS National Database. https://riskcalc.sts.org/stswebriskcalc