cart_cardiac_arrest_score: Cardiac Arrest Risk Triage (CART) Score

In cliot: Clinical Indices and Outcomes Tools

Cardiac Arrest Risk Triage (CART) Score

Description

Calculates the CART score, a physiological track-and-trigger system designed to predict cardiac arrest in hospitalized patients. Unlike other early warning scores that rely on subjective assessments (like "AVPU"), CART uses weighted points for four objective vital sign and demographic variables (Respiratory Rate, Heart Rate, Diastolic BP, and Age) to identify patients at risk of deterioration.

Usage

cart_cardiac_arrest_score(respiratory_rate, heart_rate, diastolic_bp, age)

Arguments

respiratory_rate	Numeric. Respiratory rate in breaths per minute. < 21: 0 pts. 21-23: 8 pts. 24-25: 12 pts. 26-29: 15 pts. > 29: 22 pts.
heart_rate	Numeric. Heart rate in beats per minute. < 110: 0 pts. 110-139: 4 pts. > 139: 13 pts.
diastolic_bp	Numeric. Diastolic blood pressure in mmHg. > 49: 0 pts. 40-49: 4 pts. 35-39: 6 pts. < 35: 13 pts.
age	Numeric. Patient age in years. < 55: 0 pts. 55-69: 4 pts. > 69: 9 pts.

Value

A list containing:

CART_Score

The calculated risk score (Range 0-57). Higher scores indicate a significantly higher risk of cardiac arrest or ICU transfer.

References

Churpek MM, Yuen TC, Park SY, et al. Derivation of a cardiac arrest prediction model using ward vital signs. Crit Care Med. 2012;40(7):2102-2108. doi:10.1097/CCM.0b013e318250aa5a

Examples

# Example 1: High Risk
# RR 30 (+22), HR 145 (+13), DBP 30 (+13), Age 75 (+9)
# Score = 57
cart_cardiac_arrest_score(30, 145, 30, 75)

# Example 2: Moderate Risk
# RR 22 (+8), HR 100 (0), DBP 60 (0), Age 60 (+4)
# Score = 12
cart_cardiac_arrest_score(22, 100, 60, 60)

cliot documentation built on Dec. 1, 2025, 1:06 a.m.