Fewer Cardiac and Respiratory Arrests with Rapid Response Teams

In a Veterans Affairs hospital, RRTs had a positive effect on the incidence of arrests, although in-hospital mortality didn't change.

Integration of rapid response teams (RRTs) into healthcare systems has grown rapidly during the past decade, and evidence of positive outcomes has been mounting. Investigators prospectively analyzed the incidence of cardiac arrests and mortality before and after institution of RRTs within a university-affiliated Veterans Affairs (VA) medical center. The RRTs comprised several physicians, an intensive care unit (ICU) nurse, a respiratory therapist, and a pharmacist.

Among all patients for whom RRTs were called, 58% required transfer to higher-level care (compared with 20%–45% in previous RRT studies). Significant reductions, attributable to the RRT intervention, occurred for cardiac arrests (10 per 1000 discharges before RRT vs. 4 arrests per…

Reviewing Author

Daniel D. Dressler, MD, MSc, SFHM

Disclosures

RoyaltiesMcGraw-Hill; Elsevier

Editorial BoardsMedical Clinics of North America; Caribbean Medical Journal International Advisory Panel (2021–2026)

Daniel D. Dressler, MD, MSc, SFHM

Disclosures

RoyaltiesMcGraw-Hill; Elsevier

Editorial BoardsMedical Clinics of North America; Caribbean Medical Journal International Advisory Panel (2021–2026)