Epidemiology of early Rapid Response Team activation after Emergency Department admission

Abstract

Background: Rapid Response Team (RRT) calls can often occur within 24 h of hospital admission to a general ward. We seek to determine whether it is possible to identify these patients before there is a significant clinical deterioration. Methods: Retrospective case-controlled study comparing patient characteristics, vital signs, and hospital outcomes in patients triggering RRT activation within 24 h of ED admission (cases) with matched ED admissions not receiving a RRT call (controls). Results: Over 12 months, there were 154 early RRT calls. Compared with controls, cases had a higher heart rate (HR) at triage (92 vs. 84 beats/min; p = 0.008); after 3 h in the ED (91 vs. 80 beats/min; p = 0.0..