Rapid Emergency Medicine Score can predict long-term mortality in nonsurgical emergency department patients.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the Rapid Emergency Medicine Score (REMS) as a predictor of long-term (4.7 years) mortality in the nonsurgical emergency department (ED).


METHODS
This was a prospective cohort study. A total of 12,006 nonsurgical patients consecutively presenting to an adult ED at a 1,200-bed university hospital during a period of one year were enrolled. REMS (including blood pressure, respiratory rate, pulse rate, Glasgow Coma Scale score, peripheral oxygen saturation, and patient age) was calculated for all patients admitted to the ED. The statistical associations between REMS and long-term mortality were examined.


RESULTS
REMS could predict mortality over 4.7 years (hazard ratio, 1.26; p < 0.0001). Similar results were obtained in the major patient groups (chest pain, stroke, coma, dyspnea, and diabetes).


CONCLUSIONS
REMS was a powerful predictor of long-term mortality in patients attending the ED for a wide range of common nonsurgical disorders.
Research and Development Unit, Department of Internal Medicine, Ostersund Hospital, SE-831 83 Ostersund, Sweden. thomas.olsson@jll.se.
Thomas
T
Olsson
Andreas
A
Terent
Lars
L
Lind
D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004635:Emergency Medicine / Q000295:instrumentation*; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D017052:Hospital Mortality / Q000639:trends*; D006785:Hospitals, University / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology