Baby's case shows how RRT works
This example of the rapid response teams (RRTs) at Ohio Children's Hospital Association (OCHA) comes from David Kinsaul, FACHE, president and CEO of Dayton Children's Medical Center and chairman of OCHA:
"Baby C.T." was a 6-week old infant who arrived at the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center emergency department with a two-day history of cough and increasing difficulty breathing. Doctors diagnosed bronchitis, and the baby was admitted to the acute medical inpatient unit.
About two hours after admission, a nurse was conducting a routine assessment when she found signs of respiratory distress, including head bobbing, nasal flaring, and grunting with retractions. The baby's heart rate and respiratory rate were high but oxygen saturation was low.
Using the Pediatric Early Warning Score (PEWS), the nurse determined that the infant's score was 8 and that automatically triggered a call to the RRT. An intensive care fellow, an intensive care unit (ICU) nurse, and a respiratory therapist responded and stabilized the infant, then transferred him to the ICU for further monitoring.
The use of PEWS and the RRT response likely prevented a code and ensured that the patient was transferred to the more appropriate level of care, Kinsaul says.
This example of the rapid response teams (RRTs) at Ohio Children's Hospital Association (OCHA) comes from David Kinsaul, FACHE, president and CEO of Dayton Children's Medical Center and chairman of OCHA:You have reached your article limit for the month. Subscribe now to access this article plus other member-only content.
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