Table 2.
Classification of Emergency Alarms
| Variable | No. of Alarms | |
|---|---|---|
| Before Revision (October 19, 2012, to November 19, 2012) (n = 42) | After Revision (May 22, 2013, to June 19, 2013) (n = 36) | |
| Potentially LTA, sustained VT, VF, and pause >10 sa | 1 | 0 |
| Telemetry alarm led to immediate treatment | 0 | 0 |
| Telemetry alarm followed immediate treatment, problem detected by hospital staff before telemetry called | 0 | 0 |
| Clinically important arrhythmia, rapid SVT and AF >180/min, symptomatic heart rate <35/min, pause >5 s, second- or third-degree AVB, and recurrent NSVT | 18 | 11 |
| Recurrent NSVT | 1 | 1 |
| SVT, including AF with RVR | 10 | 4 |
| Pause >5 s, sinus, or AF | 1 | 1 |
| Symptomatic heart rate <35/min | 2 | 3 |
| Transient second- or third-degree AVB | 4 | 2 |
| Changes in patient management | ||
| Telemetry alarm led to management change in 1 hour, SVT >180/min | 10 | 4 |
| Telemetry alarm influenced ultimate treatment decision, recurrent pause >3 s, and recurrent NSVT | 2 | 2 |
| Telemetry alarm did not lead to treatment or influence ultimate management decision | 6 | 5 |
| Arrhythmias of questionable importance (eg, asymptomatic heart rate <35/min with or without AF, or sinus pause of 3–5 s occurring during sleep or at rest, or details of alarms not available) | 23 | 25 |
Abbreviations: AF, atrial fibrillation; AVB, atrioventricular block; LTA, life-threatening arrhythmia; NSVT, nonsustained ventricular tachycardia; RVR, rapid ventricular response; SVT, supraventricular tachycardia; VF, ventricular fibrillation; VT, ventricular tachycardia.
a
One episode of VT of 32 seconds was detected. It was self-terminated, asymptomatic, and without any need for treatment.