Morbidity and severity of illness during interhospital transfer: impact of a specialised paediatric retrieval team.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the morbidity and severity of illness during interhospital transfer of critically ill children by a specialised paediatric retrieval team.


METHODS
Prospective, descriptive study.


METHODS
Hospitals without paediatric intensive care facilities in and around the London area, and a paediatric intensive care unit at a tertiary centre.


METHODS
51 critically ill children transferred to the paediatric intensive care unit.


METHODS
Adverse events related to equipment and physiological deterioration during transfer. Paediatric risk of mortality score before and after retrieval. Therapeutic intervention score before and after arrival of retrieval team.


RESULTS
Two (4%) patients had preventable physiological deterioration during transport. There were no adverse events related to equipment. Severity of illness decreased during stabilisation and transport by the retrieval team, suggested by the difference between risk of mortality scores before and after retrieval (P < 0.001). The median (range) difference between the two scores was 3.0 (-6 to 17). Interventions during stabilisation by the retrieval team increased, demonstrated by the difference between intervention scores before and after retrieval, median (range) difference between the two scores being 6 (-8 to 38) (P < 0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
Our study indicates that a specialised paediatric retrieval team can rapidly deliver intensive care to critically ill children awaiting transfer. Such children can be transferred to a paediatric intensive care unit with minimal morbidity and mortality related to transport. There was no deterioration in the clinical condition of most patients during transfer.
Britto
J
J
Department of Paediatrics, St Mary's Hospital, London.
Nadel
S
S
Maconochie
I
I
Levin
M
M
Habibi
P
P
D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016638:Critical Illness / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D015278:Intensive Care Units, Pediatric; D008131:London / Q000453:epidemiology; D009017:Morbidity; D010348:Patient Care Team; D010360:Patient Transfer; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index