Background: The vasoactive-inotropic score (VIS) predicts mortality and morbidity after paediatric cardiac surgery. Here we examined whether VIS also predicted outcome in adults after cardiac surgery, and compared predictive capability between VIS and three widely used scoring systems. Methods: This single-centre retrospective cohort study included 3213 cardiac surgery patients. Maximal VIS (VIS max ) was calculated using the highest doses of vasoactive and inotropic medications administered during the first 24 h postsurgery. We established five VIS max categories: 0e5, >5e15, >15e30, >30e45, and >45 points. The predictive accuracy of VIS max was evaluated for a composite outcome, which included 30-day mortality, mediastinitis, stroke, acute kidney injury, and myocardial infarction. Results: VIS max showed good prediction accuracy for the composite outcome [area under the curve (AUC), 0.72; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.69e0.75]. The incidence of the composite outcome was 9.6% overall and 43% in the highest VIS max group (>45). VIS max predicted 30-day mortality (AUC, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.69e0.83) and 1-yr mortality (AUC, 0.70; 95% CI, 0.65e0.74). Prediction accuracy for unfavourable outcome was significantly better with VIS max than with Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (P¼0.01) and Simplified Acute Physiological Score II (P¼0.048), but not with the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score (P¼0.32). Conclusions: In adults after cardiac surgery, VIS max predicted a composite of unfavourable outcomes and predicted mortality up to 1 yr after surgery.