EuroSCORE stands for European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation. It identifies a number of risk factors which help to predict mortality from cardiac surgery. The original EuroSCORE calculator was published in 1999, derived from an international database of patients undergoing cardiac surgery. The EuroSCORE II calculator was released for use on October 3, 2011 at the European Association of Cardiothoracic Surgery meeting in Lisbon.

The original calculator is used worldwide for both the measurement of risk and as a benchmark for the assessment of quality of cardiac surgical services. There are more than 1300 formal citations of the EuroSCORE in the medical literature.

The previous additive and logistic EuroSCORE versions are now inappropriately calibrated but have remained powerfully discriminatory. Nevertheless, there is evidence that discrimination may be improved further by refining and modifying some of the risk factors, such as renal dysfunction. Therefore, the new EuroSCORE II calculator was developed to optimize its useful application in contemporary practice.

The EuroSCORE II calculator is to be used as an educational tool only, and it should not be viewed as a substitute for the opinion of expert Cardiac Surgeons and Cardiologists. Clinical judgement must be used whenever rare risk factors are present. The risk model provides a set standard, and units and surgeons will perform at, above or below the standard. Best practice in quoting risk to patients is to adjust the risk calculated by EuroSCORE II to the results achieved by the unit in question. The application is meant to be used as a tool to guide discussions with patients, families, and healthcare providers regarding the potential outcomes after open heart surgery.