@article{4938,
  author = {Márcio M. Boniatti and Neusa Azzolini and Marina Viana V and Berenice S P Ribeiro and Renata S. Coelho and Rodrigo K. Castilho and Márcio R. Guimarães and Lia Zorzi and Luis F. Schulz and Edison M Rodrigues Filho},
  title = {Delayed medical emergency team calls and associated outcomes.},
  abstract = {<p><b>OBJECTIVE: </b>To determine whether there was an association between delayed medical emergency team calls and mortality after a medical emergency team review.</p><p><b>DESIGN: </b>This was a prospective observational study.</p><p><b>SETTING: </b>A university-affiliated tertiary referral hospital in Porto Alegre, Brazil.</p><p><b>PATIENTS: </b>All patients were reviewed by the medical emergency team from July 2008 to December 2009.</p><p><b>INTERVENTIONS: </b>None.</p><p><b>MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: </b>There were 1,481 calls for 1,148 patients. Delayed medical emergency team calls occurred for 246 patients (21.4%). The criterion associated with delay was typically the same criterion for the subsequent medical emergency team call. Physicians had a greater prevalence of delayed medical emergency team calls (110 of 246 [44.7%]) than timely medical emergency team calls (267 of 902 [29.6%]; p < 0.001). The mortality at 30 days after medical emergency team review was higher among patients with delayed medical emergency team activation (152 [61.8%]) than patients receiving timely medical emergency team activation (378 [41.9%]; p < 0.001). In a multivariate analysis, delayed medical emergency team calls remained significantly associated with higher mortality.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS: </b>Delayed medical emergency team calls are common and are independently associated with higher mortality. This result reaffirms the concept and need for a rapid response system.</p>},
  year = {2014},
  journal = {Crit Care Med},
  volume = {42},
  pages = {26-30},
  month = {01/2014},
  issn = {1530-0293},
  doi = {10.1097/CCM.0b013e31829e53b9},
  language = {eng},
}