Elderly patients are at high risk of night‐time admission to the intensive care unit following a rapid response team call. Issue 12 (December 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Sundararajan, K.; Flabouris, A.; Thompson, C.; Seppelt, ,, I.
• Is Part Of: Internal medicine journal. Volume 46:Issue 12(2016)
• Page Start: 1440
• Page End: 1442
• Publication Date: 2016-12
• Subjects: intensive care unit -- rapid response teams -- afferent limb failure -- diurnal variation -- circadian rhythm; Medicine -- Periodicals; 616
• DOI: 10.1111/imj.13281
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1444-0903

Abstract

Abstract : Previous studies have shown that elderly patients (age ≥65 years) are less likely to be admitted to the intensive care unit following a rapid response team call and have high hospital mortality rates. This study has shown that elderly patients have a significantly higher probability of being admitted to an intensive care unit following a rapid response team call at night than during the day. However, at no time are they at greater risk than younger patients of incomplete vital sign recording, a failure to escalate care for acute deterioration or mortality.