Early-warning system halves in-hospital heart attacks

A NEW early-warning rapid response system in an Irish hospital has almost halved the number of cardiac arrests among its patients.

The South Infirmary-Victoria University Hospital (SIVUH) in Cork became the first Irish hospital to introduce an early-warning “score system” for patients at risk of cardiac arrest last year.

It was combined with the introduction of a new medical emergency team (MET), which was tasked specifically to deal rapidly with these cases. Since the system was introduced in July 2006, in-hospital cardiac arrests have dropped by 46% and survival rates have jumped from the international norm of 17% to 52%.

The MET was activated 23 times between June and December of last year. Of all patients seen by the MET, 52% (12 patients) survived to be discharged from hospital. However, 48% (11 patients) died while receiving further treatment.

Cardiac arrest is the sudden loss of heart function in which the victim may or may not have diagnosed heart disease.

The SIVUH’s resuscitation officer, Gerry Allen, introduced the scheme but was unavailable for comment yesterday.

However, writing in the latest newsletter of the State’s Clinical Indemnity Scheme, he recommended other hospitals should examine the possibility of establishing their own METs.

“Traditionally, hospitals treat emergencies on wards in a reactive manner. The MET has proven that a proactive process leads to better patient outcomes.”