Long-term outcomes following a rapid response team attendance

Area of Science:

• Critical Care Medicine
• Hospital Outcomes Research
• Public Health Surveillance

Background:

• Rapid Response Teams (RRTs) are crucial for managing deteriorating inpatients.
• Understanding long-term outcomes after RRT activation is vital for improving patient care.
• Australian university-affiliated hospitals with quaternary referrals present a unique setting for RRT outcome analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the long-term survival and mortality patterns of patients requiring RRT calls.
• To analyze trends in RRT utilization and patient outcomes over an eight-year period.
• To compare mortality characteristics of RRT patients with the general population.

Main Methods:

• An observational study utilizing RRT databases linked to a national death registry.
• Inclusion criteria: inpatients aged 16 years or older with an RRT call between July 2013 and July 2021.
• Outcomes assessed: 96-month cumulative survival, RRT call frequency, hospital and post-hospital mortality, and temporal trends.

Main Results:

• Over 31,000 RRT calls were made to over 17,000 inpatients; 53.7% were alive at 96 months.
• The majority of deaths (69.3%) occurred after hospital discharge.
• RRT patients died younger (median 79 vs. 88 years) and were more likely to die in hospital compared to the general population.

Conclusions:

• Most RRT-associated deaths occur within 12 months post-RRT call and after hospital discharge.
• Survival duration is influenced by RRT trigger, patient demographics, and clinical factors.
• Mortality rates decreased over the study period despite an increase in RRT calls.