Table 2.
Incident characteristics, time to response, and outcomes.
| Finding | |
|---|---|
| Incident characteristics (n = 65) | |
| Patient-reported symptoms, n (%) | |
| Chest pain | 20 (31) |
| Shortness of breath | 13 (20) |
| Headache | 8 (12) |
| Dizziness | 5 (8) |
| Nausea | 2 (3) |
| Technician-noted events, n (%) | |
| Suspected seizure | 5 (8) |
| Syncope | 3 (5) |
| Disorientation | 3 (5) |
| Refractory coughing | 1 (2) |
| Vital sign abnormalities, n (%) | |
| Tachycardia (> 120 beats/min) | 5 (8) |
| Hypoxia (< 88% SpO2) during wake | 3 (5) |
| ECG abnormalities (heart block) | 1 (2) |
| Hyper/hypotension (systolic pressure < 90 or > 200 mm Hg) | 3 (5) |
| Action taken, (> 1 action, in some incidents) | |
| Rapid response team activated | 40 |
| Called sleep attending physician on call | 11 |
| Called hospitalist on call | 8 |
| Code activated | 3 |
| Called security | 3 |
| Technician brought patient directly to ED | 2 |
| No further action | 1 |
| Time from incident identification to response activation | |
| Median (range), min | 3 (0–47) |
| Not documented, n | 15 |
| Time from response to intervention (arrival of physician or evaluation) | |
| Median (range), min | 3 (0–25) |
| Not documented, n | 27 |
| Outcome/disposition, n (%) | |
| Admitted to the ED | 41 (63) |
| Home (against medical advice) | 4 (6) |
| Admitted to hospital floor | 2 (3) |
| Discharged home without completing study | 1 (2) |
| Not documented | 2 (3) |
| Study completed,a n (%) | 37 (57) |
| Study characteristics, completed studies (n = 37) | |
| AHI 3%, median (range), events/h | 46.2 (0–134) |
| AHI 4%, median (range), events/h | 19.1 (0–128) |
| Mean O2, median (range), % | 94 (80–97) |
| Minimum O2, median (range), % | 83 (50–92) |
aAdequate testing completed before incident or able to complete the study following the incident. AHI = apnea-hypopnea index, ECG = electrocardiogram, ED = emergency department.