Predictive value of the National Early Warning Score 2 for hospitalised patients with viral respiratory illness is improved by the addition of inspired oxygen fraction as a weighted variable

Objectives The National Early Warning Score 2 (NEWS2) is validated for predicting acute deterioration, however, the binary grading of inspired oxygen fraction (FiO2) may limit performance. We evaluated the incorporation of FiO2 as a weighted categorical variable on NEWS2 prediction of patient deteri...

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Main Authors: Jonathan Clarke, David Grant, Guy Glover, Nishita Desai, Jack Gallifant
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMJ Publishing Group 2023-07-01
Series:BMJ Open Respiratory Research
Online Access:https://bmjopenrespres.bmj.com/content/10/1/e001657.full
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author Jonathan Clarke
David Grant
Guy Glover
Nishita Desai
Jack Gallifant
author_facet Jonathan Clarke
David Grant
Guy Glover
Nishita Desai
Jack Gallifant
author_sort Jonathan Clarke
collection DOAJ
description Objectives The National Early Warning Score 2 (NEWS2) is validated for predicting acute deterioration, however, the binary grading of inspired oxygen fraction (FiO2) may limit performance. We evaluated the incorporation of FiO2 as a weighted categorical variable on NEWS2 prediction of patient deterioration.Setting Two hospitals at a single medical centre, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust.Design Retrospective cohort of all ward admissions, with a viral respiratory infection (SARS-CoV-2/influenza).Participants 3704 adult ward admissions were analysed between 01 January 2017 and 31 December 2021.Methods The NEWS-FiO2 score transformed FiO2 into a weighted categorical variable, from 0 to 3 points, substituting the original 0/2 points. The primary outcome was a composite of cardiac arrest, unplanned critical care admission or death within 24 hours of the observation. Sensitivity, positive predictive value (PPV), number needed to evaluate (NNE) and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) were calculated. Failure analysis for the time from trigger to outcome was compared by log-rank test.Results The mean age was 60.4±19.4 years, 52.6% were men, with a median Charlson Comorbidity of 0 (IQR 3). The primary outcome occurred in 493 (13.3%) patients, and the weighted FiO2 score was strongly associated with the outcome (p=<0.001). In patients receiving supplemental oxygen, 78.5% of scores were reclassified correctly and the AUROC was 0.81 (95% CI 0.81 to 0.81) for NEWS-FiO2 versus 0.77 (95% CI 0.77 to 0.77) for NEWS2. This improvement persisted in the whole cohort with a significantly higher failure rate for NEWS-FiO2 (p=<0.001). At the 5-point threshold, the PPV increased by 22.0% (NNE 6.7) for only a 3.9% decrease in sensitivity.Conclusion Transforming FiO2 into a weighted categorical variable improved NEWS2 prediction for patient deterioration, significantly improving the PPV. Prospective external validation is required before institutional implementation.
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spelling doaj-art-ec8d2400f03b4a7abffa62dd74dd985c2025-08-20T03:02:11ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Open Respiratory Research2052-44392023-07-0110110.1136/bmjresp-2023-001657Predictive value of the National Early Warning Score 2 for hospitalised patients with viral respiratory illness is improved by the addition of inspired oxygen fraction as a weighted variableJonathan Clarke0David Grant1Guy Glover2Nishita Desai3Jack Gallifant4Centre for Health Policy, Imperial College London, London, UK3 Department of Paediatric Radiology, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UKDepartment of Critical Care, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, London, UKCardiology Department, Guy`s and St Thomas` NHS Foundation Trust, London, UKMassachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USAObjectives The National Early Warning Score 2 (NEWS2) is validated for predicting acute deterioration, however, the binary grading of inspired oxygen fraction (FiO2) may limit performance. We evaluated the incorporation of FiO2 as a weighted categorical variable on NEWS2 prediction of patient deterioration.Setting Two hospitals at a single medical centre, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust.Design Retrospective cohort of all ward admissions, with a viral respiratory infection (SARS-CoV-2/influenza).Participants 3704 adult ward admissions were analysed between 01 January 2017 and 31 December 2021.Methods The NEWS-FiO2 score transformed FiO2 into a weighted categorical variable, from 0 to 3 points, substituting the original 0/2 points. The primary outcome was a composite of cardiac arrest, unplanned critical care admission or death within 24 hours of the observation. Sensitivity, positive predictive value (PPV), number needed to evaluate (NNE) and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) were calculated. Failure analysis for the time from trigger to outcome was compared by log-rank test.Results The mean age was 60.4±19.4 years, 52.6% were men, with a median Charlson Comorbidity of 0 (IQR 3). The primary outcome occurred in 493 (13.3%) patients, and the weighted FiO2 score was strongly associated with the outcome (p=<0.001). In patients receiving supplemental oxygen, 78.5% of scores were reclassified correctly and the AUROC was 0.81 (95% CI 0.81 to 0.81) for NEWS-FiO2 versus 0.77 (95% CI 0.77 to 0.77) for NEWS2. This improvement persisted in the whole cohort with a significantly higher failure rate for NEWS-FiO2 (p=<0.001). At the 5-point threshold, the PPV increased by 22.0% (NNE 6.7) for only a 3.9% decrease in sensitivity.Conclusion Transforming FiO2 into a weighted categorical variable improved NEWS2 prediction for patient deterioration, significantly improving the PPV. Prospective external validation is required before institutional implementation.https://bmjopenrespres.bmj.com/content/10/1/e001657.full
spellingShingle Jonathan Clarke
David Grant
Guy Glover
Nishita Desai
Jack Gallifant
Predictive value of the National Early Warning Score 2 for hospitalised patients with viral respiratory illness is improved by the addition of inspired oxygen fraction as a weighted variable
BMJ Open Respiratory Research
title Predictive value of the National Early Warning Score 2 for hospitalised patients with viral respiratory illness is improved by the addition of inspired oxygen fraction as a weighted variable
title_full Predictive value of the National Early Warning Score 2 for hospitalised patients with viral respiratory illness is improved by the addition of inspired oxygen fraction as a weighted variable
title_fullStr Predictive value of the National Early Warning Score 2 for hospitalised patients with viral respiratory illness is improved by the addition of inspired oxygen fraction as a weighted variable
title_full_unstemmed Predictive value of the National Early Warning Score 2 for hospitalised patients with viral respiratory illness is improved by the addition of inspired oxygen fraction as a weighted variable
title_short Predictive value of the National Early Warning Score 2 for hospitalised patients with viral respiratory illness is improved by the addition of inspired oxygen fraction as a weighted variable
title_sort predictive value of the national early warning score 2 for hospitalised patients with viral respiratory illness is improved by the addition of inspired oxygen fraction as a weighted variable
url https://bmjopenrespres.bmj.com/content/10/1/e001657.full
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