Surgery · Anaesthesiology

Perioperative Nutrition Screen (PONS) calculator

Enter the published formula inputs below to calculate and interpret this score.

Clinical inputs

Age

years

Allowed range: 18–120 years

At age 65 or under, body mass index under 18.5 kg/m² is positive. Above age 65, body mass index under 20 kg/m² is positive.

Body mass index

kg/m²

Allowed range: 10–80 kg/m²

kg/m². The boundary itself is not positive: 18.5 at age 65 or under, and 20 above age 65.

Unintentional weight loss

Allowed range: 0–100 %

Percent of body weight lost in the past 6 months. More than 10% is positive. Exactly 10% is not.

Usual oral intake this week

% of usual

Allowed range: 0–100 % of usual

Percent of usual intake over the past week. Under 50% means intake fell by more than half and is positive. Exactly 50% is not.

Serum albumin

g/dL

Allowed range: 0.5–6 g/dL

g/dL. Under 3.0 g/dL is positive. Exactly 3.0 g/dL is not. g/L converts by dividing by 10.

Result

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Primary source

Wischmeyer PE, Carli F, Evans DC, Guilbert S, Kozar R, Pryor A, Thiele RH, Everett S, Grocott M, Gan TJ, Shaw AD, Thacker JKM, Miller TE, Hedrick TL, McEvoy MD, Mythen MG, Bergamaschi R, Gupta R, Holubar SD, Senagore AJ, Abola RE, Bennett-Guerrero E, Kent ML, Feldman LS, Fiore JF Jr. American Society for Enhanced Recovery and Perioperative Quality Initiative joint consensus statement on nutrition screening and therapy within a surgical enhanced recovery pathway. Anesth Analg. DOI: 10.1213/ANE.0000000000002743. PMID: 29369092. Recommendation 2 prints four questions. A body mass index under 18.5 kg/m² is positive, and the threshold is under 20 kg/m² when age is over 65 years. Unintentional weight loss over 10% in the past 6 months is positive. Oral intake reduced by more than 50% in the past week is positive, entered here as usual intake under 50%. Preoperative serum albumin under 3.0 g/dL is positive. Each positive question scores 1. Any positive question is nutrition risk and should lead to intervention or referral. Values sitting on a printed boundary are not positive: 18.5 kg/m² at age 65 or under, 20 kg/m² over age 65, weight loss of 10%, intake of 50% of usual, and albumin of 3.0 g/dL. (2018)

Scope: Adults being screened for nutrition risk before major surgery. The screen is the four printed questions. It does not replace a full nutrition assessment.

Last reviewed 2026-10-17

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Professional use only

For qualified clinicians. Independently verify inputs, calculations, source guidance, and applicability before any clinical action. This calculator does not replace clinical judgment.

Source: Wischmeyer PE, Carli F, Evans DC, Guilbert S, Kozar R, Pryor A, Thiele RH, Everett S, Grocott M, Gan TJ, Shaw AD, Thacker JKM, Miller TE, Hedrick TL, McEvoy MD, Mythen MG, Bergamaschi R, Gupta R, Holubar SD, Senagore AJ, Abola RE, Bennett-Guerrero E, Kent ML, Feldman LS, Fiore JF Jr. American Society for Enhanced Recovery and Perioperative Quality Initiative joint consensus statement on nutrition screening and therapy within a surgical enhanced recovery pathway. Anesth Analg. DOI: 10.1213/ANE.0000000000002743. PMID: 29369092. Recommendation 2 prints four questions. A body mass index under 18.5 kg/m² is positive, and the threshold is under 20 kg/m² when age is over 65 years. Unintentional weight loss over 10% in the past 6 months is positive. Oral intake reduced by more than 50% in the past week is positive, entered here as usual intake under 50%. Preoperative serum albumin under 3.0 g/dL is positive. Each positive question scores 1. Any positive question is nutrition risk and should lead to intervention or referral. Values sitting on a printed boundary are not positive: 18.5 kg/m² at age 65 or under, 20 kg/m² over age 65, weight loss of 10%, intake of 50% of usual, and albumin of 3.0 g/dL. (2018)

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Clinical inputs

Age (years)Accepted range: 18 to 120
Body mass index (kg/m²)Accepted range: 10 to 80
Unintentional weight loss (%)Accepted range: 0 to 100
Usual oral intake this week (% of usual)Accepted range: 0 to 100
Serum albumin (g/dL)Accepted range: 0.5 to 6

Primary source

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