AHRQ Patient Safety Network ► Cardiopulmonary arrest and mortality trends, and their association with rapid response system expansion.

AHRQ Patient Safety Network

Between 2002 and 2009, in-hospital mortality from cardiopulmonary arrest declined, but no evidence that this was due to rapid response teams.Med J Aust. 2014;201:166-170.

Cardiopulmonary arrest and mortality trends, and their association with rapid response system expansion.

Chen J, Ou L, Hillman KM, et al. Med J Aust. 2014;201:166-170.

Although rapid response teams have been widely advocated, the evidence for their benefit remains mixed. This observational study sought to analyze the incidence of inpatient cardiopulmonary arrest and related mortality while rapid response teams were being implemented in Australia. Between 2002 and 2009, the mortality associated with inpatient cardiopulmonary arrests decreased over time. The authors found that most of the decline was due to decreased incidence of arrest, not increased survival following arrest. This finding suggests that rapid response did not play a significant role in reducing mortality from in-hospital arrest in this population, consistent with prior studies.

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