Abstract: Objective To establish a risk prediction model and risk score for inhospital mortality in heart valve surgery patients, in order to promote its perioperative safety. Methods We collected records of 4 032 consecutive patients who underwent aortic valve replacement, mitral valve repair, mitral valve replacement, or aortic and mitral combination procedure in Changhai hospital from January 1,1998 to December 31,2008. Their average age was 45.90±13.60 years and included 1 876 (46.53%) males and 2 156 (53.57%) females. Based on the valve operated on, we divided the patients into three groups including mitral valve surgery group (n=1 910), aortic valve surgery group (n=724), and mitral plus aortic valve surgery group (n=1 398). The population was divided a 60% development sample (n=2 418) and a 40% validation sample (n=1 614). We identified potential risk factors, conducted univariate analysis and multifactor logistic regression to determine the independent risk factors and set up a risk model. The calibration and discrimination of the model were assessed by the HosmerLemeshow (H-L) test and [CM(159mm]the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve,respectively. We finally produced a risk score according to the coefficient β and rank of variables in the logistic regression model. Results The general inhospital mortality of the whole group was 4.74% (191/4 032). The results of multifactor logistic regression analysis showed that eight variables including tricuspid valve incompetence with OR=1.33 and 95%CI 1.071 to 1.648, arotic valve stenosis with OR=1.34 and 95%CI 1.082 to 1.659, chronic lung disease with OR=2.11 and 95%CI 1.292 to 3.455, left ventricular ejection fraction with OR=1.55 and 95%CI 1.081 to 2.234, critical preoperative status with OR=2.69 and 95%CI 1.499 to 4.821, NYHA ⅢⅣ (New York Heart Association) with OR=2.75 and 95%CI 1.343 to 5641, concomitant coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) with OR=3.02 and 95%CI 1.405 to 6.483, and serum creatinine just before surgery with OR=4.16 and 95%CI 1.979 to 8.766 were independently correlated with inhospital mortality. Our risk model showed good calibration and discriminative power for all the groups. P values of H-L test were all higher than 0.05 (development sample: χ2=1.615, P=0.830, validation sample: χ2=2.218, P=0.200, mitral valve surgery sample: χ2=5.175,P=0.470, aortic valve surgery sample: χ2=12.708, P=0.090, mitral plus aortic valve surgery sample: χ2=3.875, P=0.380), and the areas under the ROC curve were all larger than 0.70 (development sample: 0.757 with 95%CI 0.712 to 0.802, validation sample: 0.754 and 95%CI 0.701 to 0806; mitral valve surgery sample: 0.760 and 95%CI 0.706 to 0.813, aortic valve surgery sample: 0.803 and 95%CI 0.738 to 0.868, mitral plus aortic valve surgery sample: 0.727 and 95%CI 0.668 to 0.785). The risk score was successfully established: tricuspid valve regurgitation (mild:1 point, moderate: 2 points, severe:3 points), arotic valve stenosis (mild: 1 point, moderate: 2 points, severe: 3 points), chronic lung disease (3 points), left ventricular ejection fraction (40% to 50%: 2 points, 30% to 40%: 4 points, <30%: 6 points), critical preoperative status (3 points), NYHA IIIIV (4 points), concomitant CABG (4 points), and serum creatinine (>110 μmol/L: 5 points).Conclusion Eight risk factors including tricuspid valve regurgitation are independent risk factors associated with inhospital mortality of heart valve surgery patients in China. The established risk model and risk score have good calibration and discrimination in predicting inhospital mortality of heart valve surgery patients.