An eight year audit before and after the introduction of modified early warning score (MEWS) charts, of patients admitted to a tertiary referral intensive care unit after CPR.

AIMS: To determine whether cardiac arrest calls, the proportion of adult patients admitted to intensive care after CPR and their associated mortalities were reduced, in a four year period after the introduction of a 24/7 Critical Care Outreach Service and MEWS (Modified Early Warning System) Charts.

METHODS: A retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data during two four-year periods, (2002-05 and 2006-09) in a UK University Teaching Hospital Comparisons were via χ(2) test. A p value of ≤0.05 was regarded as being significant.

RESULTS: In the second audit period, compared to the first one, the number of cardiac arrest calls relative to adult hospital admissions decreased significantly (0.2% vs. 0.4%; p<0.0001), the proportion of patients admitted to intensive care having undergone in-hospital CPR fell significantly (2% vs. 3%; p=0.004) as did the in-hospital mortality of these patients (42% vs. 52%; p=0.05).

CONCLUSION: The four years following the introduction of a 24/7 Critical Care Outreach Service and MEWS Charts were associated with significant reductions in the incidence of cardiac arrest calls, the proportion of patients admitted to intensive care having undergone in-hospital CPR and their in-hospital mortality.