Prognostic value of the calling criteria in patients receiving a medical emergency team review.
OBJECTIVE
To describe the reasons for medical emergency team (MET) activation, and to verify the association of the MET score with 30-day mortality.


METHODS
This retrospective observational study took place in a 794-bed university-affiliated hospital. The population included all adult admissions reviewed by the MET during the period between January 2007 and June 2008. MET score was defined as the sum of each of the physiological triggers, and score zero was considered the calls made due to concern about the patient, without any physiological alteration.


RESULTS
During the period of the study, 1051 calls were generated for 901 patients. Respiratory distress and hypotension accounted for most of MET calls. The triggers that showed an independent association with mortality were threatened airway, systolic blood pressure <90 mmHg, decrease in Glasgow Coma Scale score > or =2 points and respiratory frequency >36 breaths/min. Logistic regression analysis revealed MET score, age, medical patient, documented do not resuscitate orders and MET decision to transfer to the intensive care unit to be significant predictors of 30-day mortality.


CONCLUSIONS
MET score presents a strong association with 30-day mortality in patients seen on the ward.
Santa Casa de Misericórdia de Porto Alegre, Brazil. marciobt@terra.com.br
Márcio Manozzo
MM
Boniatti
Neusa
N
Azzolini
Deisi Letícia Oliveira
DL
da Fonseca
Berenice Severino Pinto
BS
Ribeiro
Vanessa Martins
VM
de Oliveira
Rodrigo Kappel
RK
Castilho
Marcelo Gregório
MG
Raymundi
Renata Souza
RS
Coelho
Edison Moraes Rodrigues
EM
Filho
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D017052:Hospital Mortality; D057209:Hospital Rapid Response Team / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007297:Inpatients; D007362:Intensive Care Units / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D016414:Resuscitation Orders; D012189:Retrospective Studies