Clinical Predictors of Capillary Refill Time and Their Association With Triage Categories

This observational study aims to determine the correlation between capillary refill time (CRT) and vital parameters in patients presenting to the emergency department. It explores whether CRT is associated with triage categories and vital signs in non-traumatic patients, including oxygen saturation (SpO₂), heart rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, body temperature, forearm temperature, and respiratory rate. Patients admitted to the emergency department of a training and research hospital were assigned triage codes (green, yellow, red). Their CRT was measured three times, and vital signs were recorded accordingly.

In the initial evaluation, patients admitted to the emergency department were assigned a triage color code, categorized as green, yellow, or red. In the color-coding system employed, green was designated as low urgency, yellow as medium urgency, and red as urgent. The allocation of triage codes is the responsibility of nurses who have undergone the requisite training. Following the completion of the assigned task, the emergency specialist proceeded to meticulously record a series of physiological parameters. These parameters included the CRT (in seconds), the percentage of oxygen saturation in the blood (SpO2%), the heart rate (in minutes), the systolic and diastolic blood pressure (in mmHg), the body temperature (in degrees Celsius), the forearm temperature measured at the CRT, and the respiratory rate (in minutes). CRT was evaluated three times for each patient, and the mean of these values was recorded as the CRT.