Introduction /aims: Surgical APGAR scale is a tool to stratify intraoperative risk. This study evaluates its performance, analyzing the predictive power to determinate postoperative complications and morbidity in a Colombian population.

Methods:

We evaluated a prospective cohort of adult patients submitted to urgent or elective general surgical procedures. The cohort was subdivided in two groups of procedures (Minor or intermediate, Group 1; and Major or complex, Group 2). The surgical APGAR was determinate in all cases and a correlation with the probability of complications (SSI, pneumonia, reoperation, mechanical ventilation>48h and death) was established during 30 postoperative days. We calculated the χ² tests (p<0.05) and RR (CI95%) for all levels of APGAR scale and procedures.

Results:

488 patients met the inclusion criteria. According to procedures, 31.9% were placed in Group 2, 57.7% urgent and 35.2% laparoscopic. Patients with previous cardiovascular disease (p<0.001), male gender (p<0.05), open surgery (p<0.003), cancer (p<0.001), ASA≥3 (p<0.001), and patients undergoing Group 2 procedures (p<0.001) exhibit a higher probability of complications.

Patients with APGAR:

0-4 developed higher global and discriminate rates of complications (46.1%) OR: 13.8 p<0.001). In upper the levels of APGAR scale we identified a progressive reduction of complications and death.

Conclusions:

The surgical APGAR scale provides an objective intraoperative stratification of risk in general surgical procedures. Our results are similar to previous reports in the medical literature.