Characteristics and outcomes of rapid response team activations for hypotension in orthopaedic patients

Abstract

Background: Hypotension following orthopaedic surgery has been associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Rapid response teams (RRT) review patients on hospital wards with hypotension. Aim: To evaluate the epidemiology of hypotensive RRT activations in adult orthopaedic patients to identify contributing factors and areas for future quality improvement. Methods: Timing of RRT activations, presumed causes of hypotension and associated treatments were assessed. Results: Among 963 RRT activations in 605 patients over 3 years, the first calls of 226 of 605 patients were due to hypotension, and 213 (94.2%) of 226 had sufficient data for analysis. The median age was 79 (interquartile range ..