scholarly journals Outcomes of second-tier rapid response activations in a tertiary referral hospital: A prospective observational study

2021 ◽  
Vol 50 (11) ◽  
pp. 838-847
Author(s):  
Ken Junyang Goh ◽  
Hui Zhong Chai ◽  
Lit Soo Ng ◽  
Joanna Phone Ko ◽  
Deshawn Chong Xuan Tan ◽  
...  

Introduction: A second-tier rapid response team (RRT) is activated for patients who do not respond to first-tier measures. The premise of a tiered response is that first-tier responses by a ward team may identify and correct early states of deterioration or establish goals of care, thereby reducing unnecessary escalation of care to the RRT. Currently, utilisation and outcomes of tiered RRTs remain poorly described. Methods: A prospective observational study of adult patients (age ≥18 years) who required RRT activations was conducted from February 2018 to December 2019. Results: There were 951 consecutive RRT activations from 869 patients and 76.0% patients had a National Early Warning Score (NEWS) ≥5 at the time of RRT activation. The majority (79.8%) of patients required RRT interventions that included endotracheal intubation (12.7%), point-of-care ultrasound (17.0%), discussing goals of care (14.7%) and intensive care unit (ICU) admission (24.2%). Approximately 1 in 3 (36.6%) patients died during hospitalisation or within 30 days of RRT activation. In multivariate analysis, age ≥65 years, NEWS ≥7, ICU admission, longer hospitalisation days at RRT activation, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance scores ≥3 (OR [odds ratio] 2.24, 95% CI [confidence interval] 1.45–3.46), metastatic cancer (OR 2.64, 95% CI 1.71–4.08) and haematological cancer (OR 2.78, 95% CI 1.84–4.19) were independently associated with mortality. Conclusion: Critical care interventions and escalation of care are common with second-tier RRTs. This supports the need for dedicated teams with specialised critical care services. Poor functional status, metastatic and haematological cancer are significantly associated with mortality, independent of age, NEWS and ICU admission. These factors should be considered during triage and goals of care discussion. Keywords: Clinical deterioration, critical care, intensive care, mortality, rapid response system, rapid response team

2018 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 585-585
Author(s):  
Rohit Gupta ◽  
Michael Kitz ◽  
Jennifer Wang ◽  
Allison Glasser ◽  
Sarah Connolly ◽  
...  

2014 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 41-56 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Mitchell ◽  
Marilyn Schatz ◽  
Heather Francis

Rapid response teams have been introduced to intervene in the care of patients whose condition deteriorates unexpectedly by bringing clinical experts quickly to the patient’s bedside. Evidence supporting the need to overcome failure to deliver optimal care in hospitals is robust; whether rapid response teams demonstrate benefit by improving patient safety and reducing the occurrence of adverse events remains controversial. Despite inconsistent evidence regarding the effectiveness of rapid response teams, concerns regarding care and costly consequences of unaddressed deterioration in patients’ condition have prompted many hospitals to implement rapid response teams as a patient safety strategy. A cost-neutral structure for a rapid response team led by a nurse from the intensive care unit was implemented with the goal of reducing cardiopulmonary arrests occurring outside the intensive care unit. The results of 6 years’ experience indicate that a sustainable and effective rapid response team response can be put into practice without increasing costs or adding positions and can decrease the percentage of cardiopulmonary arrests occurring outside the intensive care unit. (Critical Care Nurse. 2014; 34[3]:41–56)


2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 352-357 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel P. Davis ◽  
Steve A. Aguilar ◽  
Patricia G. Graham ◽  
Brenna Lawrence ◽  
Rebecca E. Sell ◽  
...  

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nawal Salahuddin ◽  
Azam Shafquat ◽  
Qussay Marashly ◽  
Khaled Juan Zaza ◽  
Moh’d Sharshir ◽  
...  

Background. Reduced heart rate variability (HRV) indicates dominance of the sympathetic system and a state of “physiologic stress.” We postulated that, in patients with critical illness, increases in HRV might signal successful resuscitation and improved prognosis. Methods. We carried out a prospective observational study of HRV on all patients referred to the rapid response team (RRT) and correlated with serial vital signs, lactate clearance, ICU admission, and mortality. Results. Ninety-one patients were studied. Significantly higher HRV was observed in patients who achieved physiological stability and did not need ICU admission: ASDNN 19 versus 34.5, p=0.032; rMSSD 13.5 versus 25, p=0.046; mean VLF 9.4 versus 17, p=0.021; mean LF 5.8 versus 12.4, p=0.018; and mean HF 4.7 versus 10.5, p=0.017. ROC curves confirmed the change in very low frequencies at 2 hours as a strong predictor for ICU admission with an AUC of 0.772 (95% CI 0.633, 0.911, p=0.001) and a cutoff value of −0.65 associated with a sensitivity of 78.6% and a specificity of 61%. Conclusions. Reduced HRV, specifically VLF, appears closely related to greater severity of critical illness, identifies unsuccessful resuscitation, and can be used to identify consultations that need early ICU admission.


2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 203-208 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda Aponte-Patel ◽  
Arash Salavitabar ◽  
Pamela Fazzio ◽  
Andrew S. Geneslaw ◽  
Pamela Good ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Background  Debriefing after pediatric rapid response team activations (RRT-As) in a tertiary care children's hospital was identified to occur only sporadically. The lack of routine debriefing after RRT-As was identified as a missed learning opportunity. Objective  We implemented a formal debriefing program and assessed staff attitudes toward and experiences with debriefing after pediatric RRT-As. Methods  Real-time feedback for pediatrics residents captured clinical and debriefing data for each RRT-A from July 2014 to June 2016. The debriefing on physiology, team communication, and anticipation of clinical deterioration was introduced in July 2015. To assess debriefing perceptions, residents, intensive care fellows, nurses, and respiratory therapists participated in anonymous preintervention and postintervention surveys. We also developed a workshop to teach residents how to lead debriefing. Results  Debriefing after RRT-As increased from 26% preintervention to 46% postintervention (P < .0001). A total of 43 of 76 pediatrics residents (57%) attended at least 1 of 4 debriefing workshops. Both preintervention and postintervention, more than 80% (70 of 78 preintervention and 54 of 65 postintervention) of health professionals surveyed strongly agreed or agreed that there was a benefit to debriefing after RRT-As. Postintervention, 65% (26 of 40) of respondents strongly agreed or agreed that debriefing improved their understanding of the RRT-A process. The rate of debriefing was sustained at 46% (6 months after the end of the study period). Conclusions  Debriefing frequency after pediatric RRT-As significantly increased with the introduction of a formal debriefing program. A majority of health professionals and trainees reported this practice was a valuable experience.


2018 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 238-242
Author(s):  
Cheryl Gagne ◽  
Susan Fetzer

Background Unplanned admissions of patients to intensive care units from medical-surgical units often result from failure to recognize clinical deterioration. The early warning score is a clinical decision support tool for nurse surveillance but must be communicated to nurses and implemented appropriately. A communication process including collaboration with experienced intensive care unit nurses may reduce unplanned transfers. Objective To determine the impact of an early warning score communication bundle on medical-surgical transfers to the intensive care unit, rapid response team calls, and morbidity of patients upon intensive care unit transfer. Methods After an early warning score was electronically embedded into medical records, a communication bundle including notification of and telephone collaboration between medical-surgical and intensive care unit nurses was implemented. Data were collected 3 months before and 21 months after implementation. Results Rapid response team calls increased nonsignificantly during the study period (from 6.47 to 8.29 per 1000 patient-days). Rapid response team calls for patients with early warning scores greater than 4 declined (from 2.04 to 1.77 per 1000 patient-days). Intensive care unit admissions of patients after rapid response team calls significantly declined (P = .03), as did admissions of patients with early warning scores greater than 4 (P = .01), suggesting that earlier intervention for patient deterioration occurred. Documented reassessment response time declined significantly to 28 minutes (P = .002). Conclusion Electronic surveillance and collaboration with experienced intensive care unit nurses may improve care, control costs, and save lives. Critical care nurses have a role in coaching and guiding less experienced nurses.


2014 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-64 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ankur Segon ◽  
Shahryar Ahmad ◽  
Yogita Segon ◽  
Vivek Kumar ◽  
Harvey Friedman ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Rapid response teams have been adopted across hospitals to reduce the rate of inpatient cardiopulmonary arrest. Yet, data are not uniform on their effectiveness across university and community settings. Objective The objective of our study was to determine the impact of rapid response teams on patient outcomes in a community teaching hospital with 24/7 resident coverage. Methods Our retrospective chart review of preintervention-postintervention data included all patients admitted between January 2004 and April 2006. Rapid response teams were initiated in March 2005. The outcomes of interest were inpatient mortality, unexpected transfer to the intensive care unit, code blue (cardiac or pulmonary arrest) per 1000 discharges, and length of stay in the intensive care unit. Results Rapid response teams were activated 213 times during the intervention period. There was no statistically significant difference in inpatient mortality (3.13% preintervention versus 2.91% postintervention), code blue calls (3.09 versus 2.89 per 1000 discharges), or unexpected transfers of patients to the intensive care unit (15.8% versus 15.5%). Conclusions The implementation of a rapid response team did not appear to affect overall mortality and code blue calls in a community-based hospital with 24/7 resident coverage.


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