Changing cardiac arrest and hospital mortality rates through a medical emergency team takes time and constant review.
Santamaria J, Tobin A, Holmes J. Changing cardiac arrest and hospital mortality rates through a medical emergency team takes time and constant review. Crit Care Med. 2010;38(2):445-450. doi:10.1097/CCM.0b013e3181cb0ff1.
Despite continued debate on the impact of rapid response systems, they continue to be implemented widely with varying results. This study demonstrated progressive declines in unexpected cardiac deaths within 2 years and in mortality within 4 years, suggesting that benefits of this practice may simply take time to establish.