A Medical Emergency Team (MET), often called a Rapid Response Team (RRT) in the United States, is a specialized hospital unit designed to provide immediate, expert care to patients whose medical condition is worsening. While many people are familiar with the term “Code Blue,” which signifies a full cardiac or respiratory arrest, the MET serves a distinct and proactive function. These teams represent a sophisticated layer of patient safety. The primary goal of a MET is to bring intensive care expertise to the patient’s bedside on a non-intensive care unit (ICU) floor, intervening before a patient reaches the point of needing full resuscitation.
The Core Purpose: Preventing Deterioration
The fundamental purpose of a Medical Emergency Team is early intervention for clinical deterioration, aiming to stabilize patients who are exhibiting signs of decline. This proactive approach is focused on preventing a major adverse event, such as a respiratory or cardiac arrest, from ever occurring. The team is deployed when a patient is still alive but showing measurable signs that their body systems are failing.
This intervention strategy directly addresses the concept of “failure to rescue,” which describes situations where hospital staff fail to recognize or appropriately respond to a patient’s worsening condition. METs are designed to close this gap by ensuring that patients outside of the critical care setting receive immediate assessment and treatment from specialized personnel. By delivering advanced care sooner, the team works to reverse the decline, often preventing the need for an unplanned, emergency admission to the Intensive Care Unit.
Distinguishing the MET from Code Blue
The distinction between a MET activation and a Code Blue alarm lies in the timing and the patient’s physiological state. A MET call is a proactive measure, initiated when a patient is showing signs of instability but has not yet suffered a complete cardiorespiratory collapse. The patient may be struggling to breathe, have dangerously low blood pressure, or experience a sudden change in consciousness.
Conversely, a Code Blue is a reactive measure, triggered once a patient has already experienced a cardiac arrest or respiratory arrest. The goal of the MET is stabilization and reversal of the underlying problem by intervening in the “pre-arrest” phase, which is when interventions are most likely to be successful. The goal of a Code Blue team is full resuscitation, including chest compressions and defibrillation. If a patient continues to decline after a MET is activated, the situation can be rapidly escalated to a Code Blue.
Activation Triggers and Team Members
MET activation is based on clear, measurable changes in a patient’s vital signs, known as “triggers.”
These triggers include:
- A respiratory rate greater than 30 breaths per minute or less than five breaths per minute.
- A heart rate outside the range of 40 to 130 beats per minute.
- A systolic blood pressure below 90 mmHg.
- A sudden drop in oxygen saturation.
- New-onset seizure activity.
- A significant change in mental status.
The “staff concern” criterion is a valuable trigger, allowing any hospital employee, regardless of their role, to call the MET if they are worried about a patient. The MET is a multidisciplinary group composed of an ICU or critical care nurse, a respiratory therapist, and a physician or advanced practice provider. This composition ensures the team has the expertise to immediately assess the patient, initiate advanced interventions, and stabilize the patient at the bedside.