Medical Emergency Team Event Characteristics from an Australian Pediatric Hospital: A Single-Center, Retrospective Study

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: To describe the characteristics of medical emergency team (MET) events at an Australian pediatric, tertiary-care center in a way that would allow for comparison with other MET systems. METHODS: A retrospective, single-center, observational study. Consecutive MET events that occurred between January 2013 and July 2014 at Princess Margaret Hospital for Children in Perth, Western Australia, were included. RESULTS: There were 46 445 hospital admissions during the study period and 197 MET events in children. This gives a rate of 4.2 MET events per 1000 admissions. Out of 197 pediatric MET events analyzed, there were 2 deaths (1.0%) that occurred during the MET events. All 197 patients were actively treated, with none receiving “do not attempt resuscitation” orders. Of pediatric MET events, 24% (48 of 197) were admitted to the PICU, and 75% (149 of 197) stayed in the ward where the call was made. CONCLUSIONS: In this tertiary-care, pediatric hospital in Australia, the MET event rate and the rate of admission to the PICU because of MET events are lower than those reported for US pediatric hospitals. Despite these differences, Australian data suggest that outcomes are similar to US pediatric hospitals.