Acute Crit Care.  2020 Feb;35(1):16-23. 10.4266/acc.2019.00675.

Utilization of a rapid response team and associated outcomes in patients with malignancy

• Lee J
• Ban WH
• Kim SW
• Kim EY
• Han MR
• Kim SC

• KMID: 2500946
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4266/acc.2019.00675

Abstract

Background
Recent advances in diagnosis and treatment have improved long-term outcomes in cancer patients. As a result, the requirement for a rapid response team (RRT) for cancer patients is also increasing. This study aimed to analyze utilization of an RRT and the associations between related factors and mortality in a population of cancer patients. Methods: This retrospective cohort study included hospitalized patients at a single academic medical center in Seoul, Korea, who required RRT activation during a 6-year period from June 2013 to December 2018. Results: Overall, 164 of the 457 patients who met the above criteria were cancer patients, and they had a significantly higher Charlson comorbidity score than the non-cancer patients (5.0 vs. 7.0, P<0.001). A significantly larger proportion of cancer patients required intensive care unit transfer (51.8% vs. 41.0%, P=0.032). Cancer patients also had significantly higher in-hospital mortality compared with other patients (39.6% vs. 10.9%, P<0.001). Furthermore, presence of cancer was independently associated with in-hospital mortality (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 2.09; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.11 to 3.93). Among cancer patients, higher Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II at the time of RRT activation was significantly associated with in-hospital mortality regardless of malignancy (adjusted OR, 1.08; 95% CI, 1.01 to 1.15). Conclusions: Cancer patients requiring RRT activation have significantly higher rates of inhospital mortality than patients not using RRT. Higher severity score at the time of RRT activation in patients with malignancy was significantly associated with in-hospital mortality.

Keyword

cancer; clinical deterioration; hospital rapid response team

Figure

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  Figure 1. Reasons for rapid response team activation. Changes in heart rate and blood pressure were significantly more common in cancer patients than non-cancer patients. RRT: rapid response team. *P<0.05, **P<0.01.

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  Figure 2. Multivariate analysis for factors independently associated with in-hospital mortality. ICU: intensive care unit; APACHE: Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation; RRT: rapid response team; OR: odds ratio; CI: confidence interval.

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