About the Aldrete Score
The Aldrete score is a widely used post-anesthesia recovery scoring system. Introduced by Dr. Antonio Aldrete in 1970, it gives the recovery unit (PACU) a quick, structured way to judge how fully a patient has recovered from anesthesia before being moved to a ward or discharged home. It rates five criteria, each on a 0, 1, or 2 scale, and adds them for a total from 0 to 10.
The five criteria and how they score
Each criterion is scored independently, then summed. This calculator uses the modified version, which replaced the original skin-color criterion with pulse-oximeter oxygen saturation.
- Activity - moves 4 extremities voluntarily or on command (2), moves 2 extremities (1), moves 0 extremities (0).
- Respiration - breathes deeply and coughs freely (2), dyspnea or shallow, limited breathing (1), apneic (0).
- Circulation - blood pressure within 20 mmHg of the pre-anesthetic level (2), 20 to 50 mmHg away (1), more than 50 mmHg away (0).
- Consciousness - fully awake (2), arousable on calling (1), not responding (0).
- Oxygen saturation - SpO2 above 92% on room air (2), needs supplemental oxygen to keep SpO2 above 90% (1), SpO2 below 90% even with oxygen (0).
How to read the total
The total ranges from 0 (no recovery) to 10 (full recovery). A score of 9 or 10 is the threshold most protocols require before discharge from the recovery unit, provided no single criterion scores 0; some institutions use a threshold of 8. A lower total signals that the patient still needs monitoring and reassessment. The calculator reports the total, whether it meets the score-of-9 threshold, the points still needed to reach 9, and a recovery-status category.
Original versus modified score
The original 1970 score used skin color as its fifth criterion (pink, pale, or cyanotic). The modified Aldrete score replaced that subjective judgment with objective SpO2 from a pulse oximeter, which is why the fifth input here is oxygen saturation.
Important note
This tool is for education and quick reference only. It does not replace clinical judgment or local discharge policy. Discharge decisions should be made by a qualified clinician who considers the full clinical picture, including any criterion that scores 0, pain, nausea, surgical factors, and institutional protocol.