Effectiveness of SAS in predicting emergency surgery outcomes

Editor's Note

The Surgical Apgar Score (SAS) was found to be significantly predictive but weakly discriminative for major complications and death after emergency high-risk abdominal surgery in this study.

The risk of major complications, death, and ICU admission increased significantly with decreasing SAS (P < .001). The score’s c-statistics were 0.63.

Despite its predictive value, the SAS cannot be recommended as a standalone prognostic tool in an emergency setting in its current version, the authors say.

BACKGROUND: With current literature quoting mortality rates up to 45%, emergency high-risk abdominal surgery has, compared with elective surgery, a significantly greater risk of death and major complications. The Surgical Apgar Score (SAS) is predictive of outcome in elective surgery, but has nev...