Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35922102›Full record

ArticleBMJ open2022

Development and validation of an early warning score to identify COVID-19 in the emergency department based on routine laboratory tests: a multicentre case-control study.

Arjen-Kars Boer, Ruben Deneer, Maaike Maas, Heidi S M Ammerlaan, Roland H H van Balkom, Wendy A H M Thijssen, Sophie Bennenbroek, Mathie Leers, Remy J H Martens, Madelon M Buijs and 5 more

Abstract readMulticenter Study
In one paragraph

Article in BMJ open, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing 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

The trial behind it

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

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

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

15 authors.

Arjen-Kars Boer *Department of Laboratory Medicine, Catharina Hospital, Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
Ruben Deneer *Department of Laboratory Medicine, Catharina Hospital, Eindhoven, The Netherlands ruben.deneer@catharinaziekenhuis.nl.ORCID 0000-0002-6011-7783
Maaike MaasDepartment of Emergency Medicine, Catharina Hospital, Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
Heidi S M AmmerlaanDepartment of Internal Medicine, Catharina Hospital, Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
Roland H H van BalkomDepartment of Pulmonary Diseases, Catharina Hospital, Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
Wendy A H M ThijssenDepartment of Emergency Medicine, Catharina Ziekenhuis, Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
Sophie BennenbroekDepartment of Emergency Medicine, Catharina Ziekenhuis, Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
Mathie LeersDepartment of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, Zuyderland Medical Centre Heerlen, Heerlen, The Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0001-5186-5600
Remy J H MartensDepartment of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, Zuyderland Medical Centre Heerlen, Heerlen, The Netherlands.
Madelon M BuijsAtalmedial Diagnostic Centers, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Jos J KerremansDepartment of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, Alrijne Hospital, Leiderdorp, The Netherlands.
Muriël MesschaertDepartment of Clinical Chemistry, Gelre Hospitals, Apeldoorn, The Netherlands.
Jeroen J van SuijlenDepartment of Clinical Chemistry, Gelre Hospitals, Apeldoorn, The Netherlands.
Natal A W van RielFaculty of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
Volkher ScharnhorstDepartment of Laboratory Medicine, Catharina Hospital, Eindhoven, The Netherlands.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesIdentifying patients with a possible SARS-CoV-2 infection in the emergency department (ED) is challenging. Symptoms differ, incidence rates vary and test capacity may be limited. As PCR-testing all ED patients is neither feasible nor effective in most centres, a rapid, objective, low-cost early warning score to triage ED patients for a possible infection is developed.

designCase-control study.

settingSecondary and tertiary hospitals in the Netherlands.

participantsThe study included patients presenting to the ED with venous blood sampling from July 2019 to July 2020 (n=10 417, 279 SARS-CoV-2-positive). The temporal validation cohort covered the period from July 2020 to October 2021 (n=14 080, 1093 SARS-CoV-2-positive). The external validation cohort consisted of patients presenting to the ED of three hospitals in the Netherlands (n=12 061, 652 SARS-CoV-2-positive). PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome was one or more positive SARS-CoV-2 PCR test results within 1 day prior to or 1 week after ED presentation.

resultsThe resulting 'CoLab-score' consists of 10 routine laboratory measurements and age. The score showed good discriminative ability (AUC: 0.930, 95% CI 0.909 to 0.945). The lowest CoLab-score had high sensitivity for COVID-19 (0.984, 95% CI 0.970 to 0.991; specificity: 0.411, 95% CI 0.285 to 0.520). Conversely, the highest score had high specificity (0.978, 95% CI 0.973 to 0.983; sensitivity: 0.608, 95% CI 0.522 to 0.685). The results were confirmed in temporal and external validation.

conclusionsThe CoLab-score is based on routine laboratory measurements and is available within 1 hour after presentation. Depending on the prevalence, COVID-19 may be safely ruled out in over one-third of ED presentations. Highly suspect cases can be identified regardless of presenting symptoms. The CoLab-score is continuous, in contrast to the binary outcome of lateral flow testing, and can guide PCR testing and triage ED patients.

Indexed as

COVID-19Early Warning ScoreCase-Control StudiesEmergency Service, HospitalHumansSARS-CoV-2Tertiary Care Centersaccident & emergency medicineClinical chemistryCOVID-19Health informaticsstatistics & research methods

Identifiers

PMID35922102
PMCPMC9352566

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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.