Interactive postanesthetic recovery scoring: rate 5 criteria (activity, respiration, circulation, consciousness, colour / oxygen saturation) at 0–2 points each, total 0–10. Original (1970) and modified (1995, SpO2) versions included.
⚠️ Educational tool only — it does not decide discharge. Discharge decisions belong to the anesthesia team.Modified version: the fifth criterion is oxygen saturation by pulse oximetry instead of skin colour.
Enter the pre-anesthetic baseline and current systolic blood pressure. The helper computes the percentage deviation and suggests the circulation score above.
Select a rating for each criterion above to compute the total.
Repeated evaluations (commonly every 15 minutes in the PACU). Kept only on this page — nothing is sent anywhere.
| Time | Version | Score | Zone | Details |
|---|
| Criterion | 2 points | 1 point | 0 points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Activity | Moves all 4 extremities spontaneously or on command | Moves 2 extremities | Unable to move any extremity |
| Respiration | Breathes deeply and coughs freely | Dyspneic or limited breathing | Apneic |
| Circulation | BP within ±20% of pre-anesthetic level | BP ±20–49% of pre-anesthetic level | BP ±50% or more of pre-anesthetic level |
| Consciousness | Fully awake | Arousable on calling | Not responding |
| Colour (original) | Normal | Pale, dusky, blotchy, jaundiced, or other | Cyanotic |
| O2 saturation (modified) | SpO2 > 92% on room air | SpO2 > 90% with supplemental O2 | SpO2 < 90% even with O2 |
Worked examples. A patient scoring 2 on all five criteria totals 2+2+2+2+2 = 10. A patient scoring 1 on four criteria and 0 on one totals 1+1+1+1+0 = 4.
The Aldrete score (Aldrete & Kroulik, 1970) was designed for the post-anesthesia care unit, the recovery area where patients are monitored as anesthesia wears off. The modified version (Aldrete, 1995) replaced the subjective colour assessment with objective pulse-oximetry saturation. In the original study, a score of 10 represented the best recovery condition, while scores of 7 and below indicated a need for continuous close observation. For phase II recovery and discharge directly home after ambulatory surgery, institutions often use other systems such as the PADSS or the White–Song criteria, which add items like pain, nausea, and ambulation.
Sources: Aldrete JA, Kroulik D. A postanesthetic recovery score. Anesth Analg. 1970;49(6):924–934. — Aldrete JA. The post-anesthesia recovery score revisited. J Clin Anesth. 1995;7(1):89–91.
The Aldrete score, also called the postanesthetic recovery score, is a clinical scale published by Aldrete and Kroulik in 1970 to assess recovery from anesthesia. It rates five criteria, activity, respiration, circulation, consciousness, and colour (later oxygen saturation), at 0 to 2 points each, for a maximum total of 10. It is used in post-anesthesia care units (PACU) as one part of deciding whether a patient is ready for discharge.
Each of the five criteria is scored 0, 1, or 2 and the points are added, so the total ranges from 0 to 10. Example: activity 2 + respiration 2 + circulation 1 + consciousness 2 + oxygen saturation 2 = 9. This calculator sums your selections automatically and shows the per-criterion breakdown.
A score of 9 or higher is the discharge threshold most institutions cite, and 9 to 10 is generally described as the discharge-score range. Some protocols add the nuance of requiring no single criterion to score 0. The number alone never clears anyone for discharge: the anesthesia team combines it with pain control, nausea control, surgical-site status, and local policy before deciding.
The original 1970 version used skin colour as its fifth criterion: normal (2), pale or dusky (1), cyanotic (0). The 1995 modified version replaced colour with pulse-oximetry oxygen saturation: SpO2 above 92 percent on room air (2), above 90 percent with supplemental oxygen (1), below 90 percent even with oxygen (0). This calculator lets you use either variant and labels which one is active.
Circulation compares current systolic blood pressure against the pre-anesthetic baseline: within 20 percent of baseline scores 2, a 20 to 49 percent deviation scores 1, and a deviation of 50 percent or more scores 0. This calculator includes a helper that computes the percentage deviation from the baseline and current systolic values you enter.
A 0 marks the worst level of that criterion, for example apneic breathing, unresponsiveness, or SpO2 below 90 percent despite oxygen. Some discharge protocols require a total of 9 or more AND no criterion at 0, so a single zero can block discharge even when the total looks high. This calculator shows how many criteria scored 0.
No. This is an educational calculator only. Discharge decisions belong to the anesthesia and surgical team, who combine the score with pain and nausea control, surgical-site assessment, and their local protocol. Never use this tool, or any online calculator, to make discharge decisions for a patient, including yourself or a family member.
In clinical practice the score is typically assessed on arrival in the PACU and then repeated at regular intervals, commonly every 15 minutes, until discharge criteria are met. This calculator includes an assessment log so repeated evaluations can be recorded with timestamps and compared over time.
The original score was validated in adults recovering from anesthesia in the PACU. For phase II recovery and discharge directly home after ambulatory surgery, institutions often use other systems such as the PADSS or the White and Song criteria, which add items like pain, nausea, and ambulation. Pediatric patients are generally assessed with pediatric-specific tools.
The original scale is Aldrete JA and Kroulik D, A postanesthetic recovery score, Anesthesia and Analgesia, 1970, volume 49, pages 924 to 934. The modified version is Aldrete JA, The post-anesthesia recovery score revisited, Journal of Clinical Anesthesia, 1995, volume 7, pages 89 to 91.
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