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Red Code Management in a Pediatric Emergency Department: A Retrospective Study
- Source :
- Children, Vol 11, Iss 4, p 462 (2024)
- Publication Year :
- 2024
- Publisher :
- MDPI AG, 2024.
-
Abstract
- The “red code” (RC) represents the highest level of emergency in the emergency department (ED). This study retrospectively analyzed RCs in the Regina Margherita Children’s Hospital ED, a regional referral center in north Italy, between 1 July 2020 and 30 June 2023. The aim was to describe RC characteristics and to identify significant correlations between presenting complaints and clinical management. The study includes 934 RCs (0.9% of overall ED admissions); 64% were assigned based on the Pediatric Assessment Triangle alteration. Most patients, 86.5%, followed the medical pathway, while 13.5% were surgical cases. Admission complaints were respiratory (46.9%), neuropsychiatric (26.7%), traumatic (11.8%), cardiologic (9.3%), metabolic (3.8%), and surgical (1.5%). Seventy-six percent of patients received vascular access, and intraosseous access was obtained in 2.2% of them. In one-third of RCs, an urgent critical care evaluation was necessary, and 19% of cases required admission to the intensive care unit. The overall mortality rate was 3.4% (0.4% in ED setting). The study identified six distinct diagnostic pathways, each associated with specific characteristics in clinical presentation, management, therapeutic interventions, and outcomes. Our findings underscore the need for a systematic approach in pediatric emergency settings, supported by international and national guidelines but also by clearly defined diagnostic pathways, aiming to enhance the quality of care and patient outcomes.
- Subjects :
- red code
emergency department
diagnostic pathways
Pediatrics
RJ1-570
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 22279067
- Volume :
- 11
- Issue :
- 4
- Database :
- Directory of Open Access Journals
- Journal :
- Children
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- edsdoj.927570f6f4d8d8e0b30cae8984475
- Document Type :
- article
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.3390/children11040462