title: Point prevalence of general ward patients fulfilling criteria for systemic inflammatory response syndrome.
abstract: The systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) is defined by abnormal temperature, heart rate, minute ventilation or white cell count and can be due to infectious or non-infectious causes. In a single day, 23% of hospital ward patients fulfilled SIRS criteria. Patients with SIRS were more likely to be under medical than surgical units. One-third of the patients had evidence of infection. There was no association between SIRS criteria and increased mortality or hospital length of stay.
authors.affiliation: Department of Intensive Care, Austin Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Douglas
authors.affiliation: Department of Intensive Care, Austin Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Casamento
authors.affiliation: Department of Intensive Care, Austin Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.|Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Jones
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006757:Hospital Units / Q000639:trends*; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000639:trends*; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000639:trends; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018746:Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*
keywords: SIRS; sepsis