Timing and interventions of emergency teams during the MERIT study.
OBJECTIVE
To examine interventions and timing of emergency team calls in hospitals with or without a medical emergency team (MET).


METHODS
Interventions were recorded, categorized and classified as critical care interventions (e.g. airway intervention, ventilation and use of inotropic drugs); ward level interventions (e.g. fluids, oxygen by mask); assessment, physical examination and investigations.


RESULTS
Only 5 of the 2376 calls were free of critical care interventions. For non-cardiac arrest-related calls, MET hospitals had a lower proportion of airway, circulation and drug-related interventions and a higher proportion of ward level interventions. The majority of calls were between 0601 and 1200 h and cardiac arrest survival was greatest in the 1200-2400 h period. Overall median time at the scene was 25 min.


CONCLUSIONS
Nearly all emergency team calls required critical care type interventions. Emergency team calls show a unique temporal pattern for both MET and control hospitals. These findings have important organizational and resource-related implications for hospitals evaluating and establishing rapid response systems.
Flabouris
Arthas
A
Intensive Care Unit, Royal Adelaide Hospital, University of Adelaide, Australia.
Chen
Jack
J
Hillman
Ken
K
Bellomo
Rinaldo
R
Finfer
Simon
S
D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003422:Critical Care / Q000379:methods*; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006323:Heart Arrest / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units / Q000458:organization & administration; D016014:Linear Models; D010348:Patient Care Team / Q000458:organization & administration*; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D012151:Resuscitation / Q000379:methods*; D013997:Time Factors