Haematology

Caprini VTE Risk Score

VTE risk in surgical patients.

Education and reference only. Not a substitute for clinical judgement, local policy or product labelling. Always verify before clinical use. Values are calculated in your browser and never stored.

When to use

Use in surgical and at-risk patients to estimate venous thromboembolism risk and guide thromboprophylaxis.

Why use

It is the most widely used surgical VTE risk-assessment model.

Age

Surgery type

BMI > 25

Swollen legs

Varicose veins

Sepsis (<1 month)

Serious lung disease / pneumonia (<1 month)

Abnormal pulmonary function / COPD

Acute myocardial infarction

Congestive heart failure (<1 month)

History of inflammatory bowel disease

Medical patient at bed rest

Oral contraceptive or HRT

Pregnancy or postpartum (<1 month)

History of unexplained/recurrent miscarriage

Malignancy (present or previous)

Confined to bed > 72 hours

Immobilising plaster cast (<1 month)

Central venous access

History of DVT / PE

Family history of thrombosis

Known thrombophilia (Factor V Leiden, prothrombin 20210A, antiphospholipid, etc.)

Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia

Elevated serum homocysteine

Stroke (<1 month)

Elective major lower-limb arthroplasty

Hip, pelvis or leg fracture (<1 month)

Acute spinal cord injury / paralysis (<1 month)

Advice

Higher scores indicate higher VTE risk and a stronger indication for pharmacological prophylaxis — weigh against bleeding risk and follow local policy. Thresholds for prophylaxis vary by guideline.

Evidence & references

Caprini JA. Thrombosis risk assessment as a guide to quality patient care. Dis Mon. 2005.

About the creator

Joseph Caprini

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