Clinical review: Can we predict which patients are at risk of complications following surgery?

There are a vast number of operations carried out every year, with a small proportion of patients being at highest risk of mortality and morbidity. There has been considerable work to try and identify these high-risk patients. In this paper, we look in detail at the commonly used perioperative risk prediction models. Finally, we will be looking at the evolution and evidence for functional assessment and the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (in the USA), both topical and exciting areas of perioperative prediction.