The ASCVD Risk Estimator Plus is a free clinical decision support tool developed by the American College of Cardiology (ACC) in partnership with the American Heart Association (AHA) to assist healthcare professionals and patients in assessing and managing cardiovascular risk. It is an update to the original ASCVD Risk Estimator, designed to align with the latest ACC/AHA guidelines, including the 2019 Primary Prevention Guideline and the 2018 Cholesterol Guideline.
Key Capabilities and Features:
- Risk Estimation: It estimates a patient's initial 10-year Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease (ASCVD) risk using the Pooled Cohort Equation (PCE) for individuals aged 40-79.
- Longitudinal Tracking: It incorporates the Million Hearts Longitudinal ASCVD Risk Assessment Tool to update and track the change in risk over time based on a patient's actual response to therapy at follow-up visits.
- Intervention Projection: The tool can project the potential benefit and risk reduction impact of specific interventions, such as statins, blood pressure medication, aspirin, and smoking cessation.
- Guidance and Discussion: It provides an individualized, evidence-based, risk-guided intervention approach and is designed to facilitate shared decision-making and customized risk-lowering plan discussions between the clinician and patient.
- Lifetime Risk: It also provides lifetime ASCVD risk estimates for adults aged 20-59.
Target Users and Use: This tool is intended for use by qualified healthcare professionals and patients for primary prevention of ASCVD. While the tool is highly reliable, the ACC emphasizes that the information and recommendations are meant to support—not replace—clinical judgment.