Interpret
Trends
A single value is a fact; a series is a story. Labs over days and vital signs over a shift, each with one question: what is changing, and why does it matter. The pediatric rows are read through the age-band layer.
Laboratory trends
The sodium that keeps falling
74-year-old admitted with pneumonia, on intravenous fluids, eating little.
| Sodium | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| mmol/L | 134 | 131 | 129 | 126 |
What is changing, and what does the trend change?
Connected
The creatinine climbing after the CT
66-year-old with diabetes, admitted with abdominal pain, CT with contrast on day 1, on ramipril and metformin.
| Creatinine | Admission | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| µmol/L | 98 | 121 | 168 | 214 |
Read the trend.
Connected
The hemoglobin drifting down
59-year-old on the ward after a hip replacement, on low-molecular-weight heparin, complaining of thigh pain.
| Hemoglobin | Pre-op | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| g/L | 138 | 112 | 104 | 91 |
What is the trend saying?
Connected
The lactate that will not clear
48-year-old with septic shock from a urinary source, 4 hours into resuscitation.
| Lactate | 0 h | 2 h | 4 h | 6 h |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| mmol/L | 5.8 | 4.9 | 4.7 | 5.2 |
Read the trend.
Connected
Vital sign trends
The afternoon that became sepsis
70-year-old admitted with a urinary tract infection, oral antibiotics, 'for observation'.
| Time | 08:00 | 12:00 | 16:00 | 20:00 | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HR | 84 | 96 | 108 | 122 | |
| SBP | 132 | 126 | 114 | 96 | |
| RR | 16 | 18 | 22 | 26 | |
| SpO2 | 97 | 96 | 95 | 93 | |
| T | 37.4 | 38.1 | 38.6 | 38.9 |
Flags through the adult ward thresholds.
When should this patient have been escalated, and what does the pattern show?
Connected
The infant across the evening
6-month-old with bronchiolitis, day 3, admitted this morning on 1 L of oxygen.
| Time | 14:00 | 17:00 | 20:00 | 23:00 | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HR | 150 | 158 | 166 | 174 | |
| RR | 52 | 58 | 64 | 72 | |
| SpO2 | 95 | 94 | 93 | 92 | |
| SBP | 88 | 86 | 88 | 84 | |
| T | 37.9 | 38.0 | 37.8 | 37.9 |
Flags through the pediatric age-band layer for this child's age.
The saturation is still 92 percent on oxygen (now 2 L). What does the trend show?
Connected