How Pulse Health accelerates triage, detects sepsis early, and ensures medication safety in high-volume emergency settings.
Reduction in time-to-triage
Sepsis caught 1-3 hrs earlier
Prevents QT-prolongation risks
Patient: Marcus Rivera, 44y (Presentation: Acute chest pain, dizziness, shortness of breath)
Setting: Busy urban ED, high patient volume. PMH: Hypertension, obesity (BMI 34), mild intermittent asthma. Reason for ED Visit: Sudden onset chest tightness and near-syncope.
The ED team needs to classify Mr. Rivera’s chest pain severity and determine immediate vs urgent vs routine evaluation. However, the relevant information is scattered across triage notes, prior labs, vitals, and old EKGs, slowing urgent decision-making.
Query: "Compile prior EKGs, last lipid panel, risk factors, and current triage vitals. Estimate ACS risk and recommend triage priority."
Insight: Intermediate–high risk for ACS. Recommend STAT troponin, continuous monitoring, aspirin 325 mg (if no contraindication), and cardiology consult. Prioritize bed placement.
Mr. Rivera develops a fever (101.9°F) and tachycardia 2 hours into ED observation. Nursing notes mention "possible confusion," but the ED physician has not yet reviewed all vitals, labs, and nursing comments. Subtle sepsis indicators may be missed without automated consolidation.
Query: "Analyze vitals, lactate, WBC, and nursing documentation from the last 2 hours. Determine if sepsis criteria are met."
| Parameter | Extracted Value | Criteria Match |
|---|---|---|
| Temp & HR | 101.9°F / 112 bpm | ✔ Meets criteria |
| Lactate | 2.3 mmol/L | ✔ Elevated |
| Mental Status | Mild confusion | ✔ Organ dysfunction |
Insight: Patient meets criteria for severe sepsis (SIRS + suspected infection + elevated lactate). Recommend initiating sepsis bundle: obtain cultures, start broad-spectrum antibiotics, administer 30 mL/kg fluids, reassess lactate in 2 hours.
After stabilization, Mr. Rivera is ready for discharge with prescriptions for azithromycin (suspected atypical pneumonia), prednisone (short burst), and albuterol inhaler. However, he recently received QT-prolonging medications (Ondansetron) at an urgent care center, and the ED team is unsure if azithromycin is safe. Searching multiple medication histories is slow and error prone.
Query: "Review all active medications, urgent care prescriptions from the last 30 days, and identify any QT-prolonging interactions with azithromycin."
Insight: Concurrent azithromycin + ondansetron increases QT risk. Recommend choosing doxycycline instead or holding ondansetron during azithromycin therapy. Obtain EKG if azithromycin must be used.
In the ED, minutes matter. Pulse Health consolidates scattered data in seconds, allowing for faster, safer triage decisions.
By correlating nursing notes (confusion) with vitals and labs, Pulse catches sepsis early, supporting bundle compliance.
Checking for interactions like QT prolongation before discharge prevents bounce-backs and adverse events.