Methods
organ dysfunction
HEART, DYSFUNCTION
Patients were connected to a mobile bedside monitor that continuously recorded ECG waveforms from triage at the ED up to 48 h. Patients were post-hoc stratified into three groups depending on the development of organ dysfunction: no organ dysfunction, stable organ dysfunction or progressive organ dysfunction (i.e., deterioration). Patients with de novo organ dysfunction and those admitted to the ICU or died were also stratified to the group of progressive organ dysfunction. Heart rate variability (HRV) features over time were compared between the three groups.