title: Epidemiology of in-hospital mortality in acute patients admitted to a tertiary-level hospital.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Healthcare professionals may have difficulty in recognising the dying patient in acute care settings, and yet, this is essential if timely end-of-life care is to be provided. While approximately one-third of patients who pass away in-hospital are reviewed by the rapid response team (RRT), there is limited available research on other factors associated with mortality within the hospital setting.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To describe the epidemiology of in-hospital mortality within a tertiary-level hospital, particularly in the context of RRT activation.
  
  
  METHODS
  We utilised the database extraction of demographic, admission and RRT activation data on acute patients discharged from an Australian acute tertiary hospital between 1 January 2009 and 31 December 2013. Analyses included simple descriptors, Chi-squared and non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis tests as appropriate.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 44,297 patients discharged from our hospital, 1603 died during admission. The general medical, haematology/oncology and intensive care teams provided care for the majority of the patients who died. A small number of diagnoses had in-patient mortality rates of greater than 25%. These included respiratory failure, alcoholic liver disease, vascular disorders of the intestine, sepsis and aspiration pneumonia. Over 75% of patients who received a RRT call survived to hospital discharge; however, patients who received four or more RRT calls during admission had an in-hospital mortality rate of over 40%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Acute in-patient mortality is unequally distributed throughout the hospital, and a small number of diagnoses has large associated in-patient mortality rates. Repeated involvement of the RRT is associated with in-patient mortality.
authors: Department of Critical Care, St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Le Guen
authors: Department of Critical Care, St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Tobin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004632:Emergency Medical Services / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends*; D016021:Epidemiologic Studies; D005260:Female; D017052:Hospital Mortality / Q000639:trends*; D057209:Hospital Rapid Response Team / Q000639:trends; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010343:Patient Admission / Q000639:trends*; D013727:Terminal Care / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends; D062606:Tertiary Care Centers / Q000639:trends*
keywords: end-of-life care; epidemiology; in-hospital mortality; medical emergency team; rapid response team