Risk prediction models are an important part of assessing operative mortality and postoperative complication rates in current cardiac surgery practice. Furthermore, they guide clinical decision-making and perioperative patient management. In recent years, a variety of clinical prediction models have been developed in China and other countries to assess the risk of mortality and complications after cardiac surgery. Currently, the most widely used and mature models are the new version of the European Cardiac Surgery Evaluation System (EuroSCORE II), the American Society of Thoracic Surgeons Cardiac Surgery Risk Model (STS score), and the Chinese Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery Risk Evaluation System (SinoSCORE). This article reviews the application of these three risk prediction models, to identify the optimal model for guiding clinical practice.