Characteristics and outcomes of critically ill children following emergency transport by a specialist paediatric transport team

Abstract

Children admitted to the PICU following emergency transfers by the specialist paediatric transport team were younger, sicker, received more PICU-specific therapies and had longer PICU LOS than other acutely admitted critically ill patients. This indicates that these transfers were appropriate.

Critically ill neonates displayed stable vital parameters and reduced metabolic acidosis during neonatal emergency airborne transport in Sweden

“…This study showed that the airborne transportation of extremely preterm and critically ill neonates was performed safely, based on the vital parameters measured before, during and after transport, and the standard evaluation carried out in the 24 hours after transport . Blood gas measurements before and after transport might provide markers of transport performance.…”

“…Most interestingly, the analyses of blood gases before and after transfers demonstrated significant improvements in blood pH and base deficit, while partial pressure of carbon dioxide remained unchanged. As base deficit reflects the patient's total metabolic and circulatory status , the observed improvement might indicate that most patients' requirements were met during transport. This is reassuring given both the composition of the highly vulnerable study population and the fact that the median stabilisation time was significantly shorter than previously reported .…”

Highlights in this issue

“…The transported patients were sicker, younger, stayed longer in intensive care and needed more specific therapies than other patients admitted to the same unit. Despite the higher severity of illness in the transport cohort, the standardised mortality ratio was similar in both groups and survival rates were not affected by the mode of transport or the distance . Michael T Bigham and Brent McSharry comment on the paper.…”

More than a bus ride: quality and outcomes of paediatric specialty transport

“…Only in the past several decades has the field of transport care sought to better understand the quality of the care delivered during the transport and the impact on patient outcomes. Experts recognise that perhaps the specialty transport care can impact outcomes, and in this issue of Acta Pediatrica, Hamrin et al describe the outcomes of children transported to a single centre by a specialty paediatric transport team. Hamrin compares the outcomes of 221 transported children to 3665 acutely admitted nontransport paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) patients, reporting a higher predicted death rate (5.58%), 30‐day mortality (8.6%), longer PICU length of stay (LOS; 4.24 days) and increased PICU‐specific therapies in the paediatric specialty transport cohort.…”