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December 05, 2007

Rapid response teams reduce mortality

Dacey and associates studied the incidence of cardiac arrests that occurred outside the intensive care unit starting 5 months before and ending 13 months after the introduction of a rapid response team (RRT) led by physician assistants with specialized critical care training.  Prior to the RRT there was an average of 7.6 cardiac arrests per 1000 discharges per month.  After the introduction of the RRT the number of cardiac arrests decreased to 3.0 per 1000 discharges per month.  There were a total of 344 RRT calls during the 13 month post introduction study period.  The percentage of unplanned ICU admissions decreased from 45% to 29% pre and post RRT (The effect of a rapid response team on major clinical outcome measures in a community hospital.  Crit Care Med 2007;35:2076 – 2082).

David S. Smith M.D., Ph.D.

Posted at 06:30 PM in Clinical Care, patient safety, Quality Improvement |

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  • Blogmaster
    This blog is organized and maintained by David S. Smith, M.D., Ph.D. Associate Professor of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, University of Pennsylvania. His subspeciality is anesthesia for patients undergoing neurosurgery. For the past 6 years he has had responsibilites for patient safety and clinical care quality improvment in a Department of over 65 faculty who provide anesthesia care for about 24,000 patients each year. Correspondance can be sent to [email protected]
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    The purpose of this blog is primarily to provide ongoing contact with former residents and faculty of the Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, U.S.A. Others may also have an interest in the topics presented. We plan to discuss a variety of issues related to the practice of anesthesiology with an emphasis on patient safety, risk management and medical legal aspects of care.
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    The content and observations on this Weblog come mostly from members of the Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care of the University of Pennsylvania. However this material does not represent the official opinion of that Department, the University of Pennsylvania or any of its other Departments or Divisions. Medicine is a rapidly changing field. We cannot guarantee that any of the material here is correct or up to date.
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