Acute Risk Change: An Innovative Measure of Operative Adverse Events and Perioperative Team Performance.

Objectives: Cardiac surgical risk models predict mortality preoperatively, whereas intensive care unit (ICU) models predict mortality postoperatively. Finding a large difference between the 2 (an acute risk change [ARC]) may reflect an alteration in the status of the patient related to the surgery. An adverse ARC was associated with morbidity and mortality in an Australian population.