Wengerter BC, et al. – This paper reports whether Rothman Index (RI) variability can predict rapid response team (RRT) activation in surgical patients. Findings prove the utility of RI standard deviation (RISD) in predicting RRT.

Methods

• Researchers matched surgical patients who underwent RRT activation from 2013 to 2015 to four control cases.
• They gauged RI variability by maximum minus minimum RI (MMRI) and RI standard deviation (RISD) within a 24-h period before RRT.
• RRT activation was observed as the primary outcome measure, and in-hospital mortality was identified as the secondary outcome measure.

Results

• In this study, two hundred seventeen (217) patients underwent RRT.
• RISD (odds ratio, OR, 1.31, 95% confidence interval, CI, 1.23–1.38, P < 0.001; area under receiver operating characteristic, AUROC, curve 0.74, 95% CI 0.70–0.77) and MMRI (OR 1.10, 95% CI 1.08–1.12, P < 0.001; AUROC 0.76, 95% CI 0.72–0.79) seemed predicting increased likelihood of RRT.