The impact of the presence of systemic inflammatory response syndrome in the emergency department on the timing and outcomes of medical emergency team calls after admission: A retrospective audit

Background/Purpose

To investigate if systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), present on arrival to the emergency department, correlates with the timing of medical emergency team calls (MET calls), mortality, length of stay, and discharge destination.

Methods

A retrospective audit was performed on patients who had a MET call during their admission and were over the age of 75 years during a 6-month period. A total of 127 patients were included: 43 with SIRS and 84 without.

Results

There was a greater amount of MET calls within 48 hours for the SIRS group compared with the Non-SIRS group (48.8% vs. 27.4%), with an odds ratio of 2.54 (95% confidence interval: 1.18–5.45, p < 0.0175). A MET call greater than 48 hours was associated with a longer length of stay (7.91 days vs. 15.49 days, mean, p < 0.0003), and higher mortality rates, 28.9% versus 4.5%, with an odds ratio of 8.54 (95% confidence interval: 1.91–38.12, p < 0.0049).

Conclusion

The presence of SIRS on admission may be considered in assessing early deterioration, prognosis, and treatment aims for older patients.