Disclosure: There were no external funding sources. The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.BACKGROUND: Early goal-directed therapy for severe sepsis or septic shock improves outcomes but requires placement of a

BACKGROUND: Unplanned (unexpected) transfers to the intensive care unit (ICU) are typically preceded by physiologic instability. However, trends toward instability may be subtle and not accurately reflected by changes in vital signs. The shock index (SI) (heart rate/systolic blood pressure as an indicator of left ventricular function, reference value of 0.54) may be a simple alternative means to predict clinical deterioration. CONCLUSIONS: SI is associated with unplanned transfers to the ICU from general medical units at values of 0.85 or greater. OBJECTIVE:Future studies will determine whether SI is more accurate than simple vital signs as an indicator of clinical decline. If so, it may be a useful trigger to activate medical emergency or rapid response teams (RRTs). Journal of Hospital Medicine 2010;5:460-465.

No abstract

No abstract