Table 1.
Patient and RRT Call Characteristicsa
| Characteristics | Variation in Diagnostic Fidelity (error or delay) (N=23) | No Variation in Diagnostic Fidelity (no error or delay) (N=107) | Pb |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age (y), median (IQR) | 65.4 (60.3-74.8) | 66.1 (54.0-77.1) | .37 |
| Female sex, N (%) | 9 (39.1) | 52 (48.6) | .40 |
| Primary reason for RRT call, N (%)c | |||
| Tachycardia | 1 (4.3) | 24 (22.4) | .30 |
| Altered level of consciousness | 6 (26.1) | 20 (18.7) | |
| Hypotension | 7 (30.4) | 22 (20.6) | |
| Respiratory distress | 3 (13.0) | 10 (9.3) | |
| Chest pain | 2 (8.7) | 8 (7.5) | |
| Hypertension | 1 (4.3) | 4 (3.7) | |
| Oxygen saturation <90% | 3 (13.0) | 7 (6.5) | |
| Otherd | 0 (0.0) | 12 (11.2) | |
| Disposition after RRT, N (%) | |||
| Intensive care unit transfer | 17 (73.9) | 33 (30.8) | <.001e |
| Remained on unit | 6 (26.1) | 74 (69.2) | <.001e |
| RRT shift, N (%) | |||
| 12:00 am-7:59 am | 9 (39.1) | 31 (29.0) | .62 |
| 8:00 am-3:59 pm | 8 (34.8) | 41 (38.3) | |
| 4:00 pm-11:59 am | 6 (26.1) | 35 (32.7) | |
| Code status, N (%) | |||
| Full code | 15 (65.2) | 84 (78.5) | .18 |
| Do not intubate/do not resuscitate | 8 (34.8) | 23 (21.5) | |
| Charlson comorbidity index score, median (IQR) | 5 (2-7) | 2(0-5) | .02e |
| Cardiac arrest triage score, median (IQR) | 17 (12-26) | 12 (4-21) | .01e |
| APACHE III score 1 h after intensive care unit admission, median (IQR) | 48 (41.5-69.5) | 51 (40-64.5) | .89 |
| Vital signs immediately before RRT activation, median (IQR) | |||
| Oxygen saturation, % | 95 (90-97) | 94 (90-98) | .76 |
| Respiratory rate, breaths/min | 22 (20-29) | 18 (16-24) | <.001e |
| Systolic blood pressure, mm Hg | 108 (83-130) | 115 (91-137) | .28 |
| Diastolic blood pressure, mm Hg | 52 (42-67) | 67 (53-84) | .01e |
| Heart rate, beats/minf | 90 (70-99) | 84 (72-97) | .86 |
a
Abbreviations: APACHE III, Acute Physiology, Age, Chronic Health Evaluation III; IQR, interquartile range; RRT, rapid response team.
b
Wilcoxon rank sum test was used for continuous variables; Pearson χ2 test was used to compare categorical variables.
c
Freeman-Halton extension of Fisher exact test was used.
d
Other reasons include bradycardia, 5 patients; lethal arrhythmia, 1 patient; respiratory depression, 1 patient; seizure, 2 patients; staff concern, 1 patient; stroke symptoms, 1 patient; unspecified, 1 patient.
e
Statistically significant.
f
Missing heart rate measurements: 57 patients.