Comprehensive Summary
In their article, Sofuoglu et al. (2025) examined the correlation between capillary refill time (CRT) and trauma acuity levels as well as physiological parameters. In this cross-sectional study conducted at a Turkish emergency department (ED), investigators measured CRT and collected demographic data from 313 trauma patients in 2024. The cohort’s mean CRT was 2 seconds, consistent with established literature identifying this as a threshold for increased mortality risk. CRT showed a statistically significant correlation with trauma acuity level, with red-coded patients (most severe) demonstrating longer CRT compared to yellow and green-coded patients (less severe). CRT demonstrated weak positive correlations with age, heart rate, blood pressure, and respiratory rate. The authors conclude that CRT serves as a reliable and rapid indicator assessing trauma acuity in the ED.
Outcomes and Implications
Capillary refill time (CRT), first described in 1947, has become a widely utilized bedside measure of peripheral perfusion and intravascular volume status, helping clinicians assess patient acuity. However, its specific value in emergency department triage and trauma acuity assessment has not been sufficiently characterized. This study demonstrates that CRT is significantly correlated with trauma acuity level, with more severely injured patients exhibiting prolonged CRT. Given that CRT requires no equipment, can be rapidly performed, and provides a meaningful correlation with injury severity, it may serve as a useful adjunct in rapid triage protocols. This ability is particularly relevant in high-volume or resource-limited settings where quick, accurate acuity assessment is critical. While promising, authors indicate limitations of this study, including the single-center design, small cohort, and observational nature precluding assessment of whether CRT-guided triage improves patient outcomes. Further research is needed to validate these findings across diverse ED populations and determine optimal integration of CRT into formal triage systems.