Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34837940›Full record

ArticleInternational journal of emergency medicine2021

Frequency of alterations in qSOFA, SIRS, MEWS and NEWS scores during the emergency department stay in infectious patients: a prospective study.

Gideon H P Latten, Judith Polak, Audrey H H Merry, Jean W M Muris, Jan C Ter Maaten, Tycho J Olgers, Jochen W L Cals, Patricia M Stassen

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in International journal of emergency medicine, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Gideon H P LattenEmergency Department, Zuyderland Medical Centre, Henri Dunantstraat 5, 6419 PC, Heerlen, The Netherlands. g.latten@zuyderland.nl.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4110-5242
Judith PolakEmergency Department, Zuyderland Medical Centre, Henri Dunantstraat 5, 6419 PC, Heerlen, The Netherlands.
Audrey H H MerryZuyderland Academy, Zuyderland Medical Centre, Heerlen, The Netherlands.
Jean W M MurisDepartment of Family Medicine, Care and Public Health Research Institute, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
Jan C Ter MaatenDepartment of Internal Medicine, section acute internal medicine, University of Groningen, University Medical Centre Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
Tycho J OlgersDepartment of Internal Medicine, section acute internal medicine, University of Groningen, University Medical Centre Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
Jochen W L CalsDepartment of Family Medicine, Care and Public Health Research Institute, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
Patricia M StassenDepartment of Internal Medicine, division general medicine, section acute medicine, Care and Public Health Research Institute, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundFor emergency department (ED) patients with suspected infection, a vital sign-based clinical rule is often calculated shortly after the patient arrives. The clinical rule score (normal or abnormal) provides information about diagnosis and/or prognosis. Since vital signs vary over time, the clinical rule scores can change as well. In this prospective multicentre study, we investigate how often the scores of four frequently used clinical rules change during the ED stay of patients with suspected infection.

methodsAdult (≥ 18 years) patients with suspected infection were prospectively included in three Dutch EDs between March 2016 and December 2019. Vital signs were measured in 30-min intervals and the quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (qSOFA) score, the Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (SIRS) criteria, the Modified Early Warning Score and the National Early Warning Score (NEWS) score were calculated. Using the established cut-off points, we analysed how often alterations in clinical rule scores occurred (i.e. switched from normal to abnormal or vice versa). In addition, we investigated which vital signs caused most alterations.

resultsWe included 1433 patients, of whom a clinical rule score changed once or more in 637 (44.5%) patients. In 6.7-17.5% (depending on the clinical rule) of patients with an initial negative clinical rule score, a positive score occurred later during ED stay. In over half (54.3-65.0%) of patients with an initial positive clinical rule score, the score became negative later on. The respiratory rate caused most (51.2%) alterations.

conclusionAfter ED arrival, alterations in qSOFA, SIRS, MEWS and/or NEWS score are present in almost half of patients with suspected infection. The most contributing vital sign to these alterations was the respiratory rate. One in 6-15 patients displayed an abnormal clinical rule score after a normal initial score. Clinicians should be aware of the frequency of these alterations in clinical rule scores, as clinical rules are widely used for diagnosis and/or prognosis and the optimal moment of assessing them is unknown.

Indexed as

Clinical rulesEmergency departmentInfection

Identifiers

PMID34837940
PMCPMC8903686

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.