Free surgery & anesthesia tool
Caprini Score Calculator (2005 Risk Assessment Model)
The Caprini score adds points for age, the planned operation and a list of clinical risk factors to describe a surgical patient's risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE). Each factor is worth 1, 2, 3 or 5 points. In a plastic surgery series using the 2005 model, patients scoring above 8 had an 11.3% symptomatic VTE rate over 60 days without chemoprophylaxis. Tick the items below to total the score.
Prepared by Prospyr · Reviewed October 3, 2026 · Free, no sign-up, runs in your browser
Score the 2005 Caprini items
Age and the planned operation are single choices. Tick every other item that applies. The score updates as you go.
Caprini score (2005 model)
1point
Stratum: 0 to 2
Below the 3-point range enrolled in the plastic surgery validation studies, so those studies report no rate for this score.
Age 1 + operation 0 + other items 0 = 1
| Score | 60-day VTE |
|---|---|
| 0 to 2 (yours) | not reported |
| 3 to 4 | 0.42% |
| 5 to 6 | 1.21% |
| 7 to 8 | 1.87% |
| 9 or more (above 8) | 5.85% |
Decision support only; it does not replace clinical judgment. Published group rates, not a prediction for one patient. This tool does not suggest prophylaxis or any treatment.
Caprini score calculator: how the 2005 risk assessment model works
The model has 34 scored items in this tool: an age band, the planned operation, 29 general risk factors and 3 that apply to women only. Factors are weighted 1, 2, 3 or 5 points. The total is placed in a stratum. The item wording follows the 2005 model as tabulated in the 2012 Pannucci plastic surgery paper.
- Age: 41 to 60 is 1 point, 61 to 74 is 2, 75 or older is 3.
- Operation: minor surgery 1; major, laparoscopic (over 45 minutes) or arthroscopic 2; elective major lower extremity arthroplasty 5.
- Other factors: from 1 point (for example varicose veins, BMI over 25) to 5 points (for example stroke or hip fracture within a month).
The timing windows in some items (such as “less than 1 month”) vary slightly between published copies of the form. Check them against the form your practice uses.
Caprini risk assessment: what the published plastic surgery data show
These are observed 60-day rates of symptomatic VTE, by 2005 Caprini stratum, from the VTEPS plastic and reconstructive surgery series (Pannucci 2012). The patients were inpatients having general anesthesia who scored 3 or more, so there is no rate for 0 to 2. The study recorded post-operative enoxaparin as a variable, so these are not untreated rates.
| 2005 Caprini score | 60-day symptomatic VTE |
|---|---|
| 0 to 2 | Not reported |
| 3 to 4 | 0.42% |
| 5 to 6 | 1.21% |
| 7 to 8 | 1.87% |
| 9 or more (above 8) | 5.85% |
An earlier VTEPS analysis (Pannucci 2011) looked only at 1,126 patients who received no chemoprophylaxis. Overall symptomatic VTE incidence was 1.69%, and 11.3% for scores above 8. Patients above 8 were significantly more likely to have VTE than those scoring 3 to 4 (odds ratio 20.9).
Worked example
A 52-year-old woman with a BMI of 27, who uses an oral contraceptive, is booked for a major operation expected to run longer than 45 minutes. Age 41 to 60 is 1 point. The major operation is 2. BMI over 25 is 1, and the oral contraceptive is 1. The total is 1 + 2 + 1 + 1 = 5, which falls in the 5 to 6 stratum. Add varicose veins (1) and the total becomes 6, still in that stratum. Add a prior DVT (3) and it becomes 9, which is above 8.
Caprini score in plastic and aesthetic surgery practices
The VTEPS network, a plastic surgery research group funded by the Plastic Surgery Foundation, validated the Caprini model for plastic and reconstructive patients. How it applies to aesthetic cases is an open question in the literature. The 2022 breast augmentation study found a median score of 3, and projected that most VTE events would still occur in patients with lower scores. Treat a low score as a number, not as a reason to skip a clinical review.
Record the score and the items behind it in the chart. Prospyr's charting keeps preoperative assessments with the visit, and the plastic surgery practice software page covers the surgical workflow. Related scores: the ASA physical status classification and the Apfel score calculator.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Caprini score?
The Caprini score comes from the Caprini Risk Assessment Model (RAM), a checklist of VTE risk factors in surgical patients. Each factor carries 1, 2, 3 or 5 points and the total places the patient in a risk stratum. The 2005 version is the one validated in plastic and reconstructive surgery patients.
How do you calculate the Caprini score?
Add the points for every factor that applies: one age band (0 to 3 points), the planned operation (1, 2 or 5 points), and each listed risk factor at its own weight. For a 45-year-old with a BMI of 28 having a major operation over 45 minutes, that is 1 (age) + 2 (operation) + 1 (BMI over 25) = 4.
What is a high Caprini score?
Plastic surgery studies group scores as 3 to 4, 5 to 6, 7 to 8 and above 8. In the 2011 VTEPS validation, patients above 8 had an 11.3% symptomatic VTE rate over 60 days without chemoprophylaxis. In the 2012 series using the 2005 model, the observed 60-day rate was 5.85% above 8, and under 2% in the lower strata.
Which version of the Caprini score does this use?
The 2005 model. A 2012 Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery study compared the 2005 and 2010 versions in 3,334 plastic surgery patients and concluded that the 2005 model separated the lowest and highest risk patients better. The 2010 version re-weights BMI, operative time and cancer, and adds superficial venous thrombophlebitis.
Is the Caprini score used in aesthetic and cosmetic surgery?
It is used in plastic surgery research and by many surgeons, but its role in aesthetic surgery is debated. A 2022 simulation study found that most VTE events after aesthetic surgery would be expected in patients with lower Caprini scores, and a 2023 Annals of Plastic Surgery commentary is titled "Abandoning Caprini Scores and Chemoprophylaxis." Your protocol and medical director decide how, or whether, it is used.
What is the Caprini risk assessment for breast augmentation patients?
In a 2022 observational study of 100 consecutive primary breast augmentation patients, the median 2005 Caprini score was 3 (range 2 to 8), and 96% of patients scored 6 or lower. Mean age was 35.7 years and mean BMI 23.8. The study also found that 28% had at least one potentially modifiable risk factor.
Does this tool recommend blood thinners or other prevention?
No. It totals the score and shows what published studies observed at each stratum. It does not suggest prophylaxis, a drug, a dose or a mechanical measure. Those decisions belong to the surgeon and the treating team under your protocol.
Sources and scope
- Caprini JA. Thrombosis risk assessment as a guide to quality patient care. Dis Mon 2005;51:70-8
The 2005 Caprini Risk Assessment Model.
- Pannucci CJ, Barta RJ, Portschy PR, et al. Assessment of postoperative venous thromboembolism risk in plastic surgery patients using the 2005 and 2010 Caprini Risk Score. Plast Reconstr Surg 2012;130:343-53 (PMC4505816)
Item list and point values for the 2005 and 2010 models, stratum rates (Table 4), and the conclusion that the 2005 model stratified plastic surgery patients better.
- Pannucci CJ, Bailey SH, Dreszer G, et al. Validation of the Caprini risk assessment model in plastic and reconstructive surgery patients. J Am Coll Surg 2011;212:105-12 (PMC3052944)
1,126 patients without chemoprophylaxis: overall VTE incidence 1.69%, 11.3% for scores above 8.
- Pannucci CJ, Momeni A, Januszyk M. The majority of venous thromboembolism events should occur in lower risk aesthetic surgery patients: a simulation study. Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open 2022;10:e4573
100 primary breast augmentation patients: median 2005 Caprini score 3, 96% at 6 or lower.
- Swanson E. Abandoning Caprini scores and chemoprophylaxis ("Bloodletting 2.0"): a call for action. Ann Plast Surg 2023;91:2-7
Cited to show the use of the score in aesthetic surgery is debated.
Decision support only; it does not replace clinical judgment. This calculator totals a published risk model and quotes observed rates from published studies. It does not recommend prophylaxis, any drug or dose, or any treatment.