title: Complications and benefits of intrahospital transport of adult Intensive Care Unit patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The transport of critically ill patients for procedures or tests outside the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) is potentially hazardous; hence, the transport process must be organized and efficient. Plenty of data is available on pre- and inter-hospital transport of patients; the data on intrahospital transport of patients are limited. We audited the complications and benefits of intrahospital transport of critically ill patients in our tertiary care center over 6 months.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred and twenty adult critically ill cancer patients transported from the ICU for either diagnostic or therapeutic procedure over 6 months were included. The data collected include the destination, the accompanying person, total time spent outside the ICU, and any adverse events and adverse change in vitals.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among the 120 adult patients, 5 (4.1%) required endotracheal intubation, 5 (4.1%) required intercostal drain placement, and 20 (16.7%) required cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Dislodgement of central venous catheter occurred in 2 (1.6%) patients, drain came out in 3 (2.5%) patients, orogastric tube came out in 1 (0.8%) patient, 2 (1.6%) patients self-extubated, and in one patient, tracheostomy tube was dislodged. The adverse events were more in patients who spent more than 60 min outside the ICU, particularly requirement of CPR (18 [25%] vs. 2 [4.2%], ≤60 min vs. >60 min, respectively) with P < 0.05. Transport led to change in therapy in 32 (26.7%) patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Transport in critically ill cancer patients is more hazardous and needs adequate pretransport preparations. Transport in spite being hazardous may lead to a beneficial change in therapy in a significant number of patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesia Critical Care and Pain, Division of Critical Care Medicine, Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Harish
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesia Critical Care and Pain, Division of Critical Care Medicine, Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Janarthanan
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesia Critical Care and Pain, Division of Critical Care Medicine, Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.
authors.forename: Suhail Sarwar
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Siddiqui
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesia Critical Care and Pain, Division of Critical Care Medicine, Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.
authors.forename: Harish K
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Chaudhary
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesia Critical Care and Pain, Division of Critical Care Medicine, Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.
authors.forename: Natesh R
authors.initials: NR
authors.lastname: Prabu
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesia Critical Care and Pain, Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.
authors.forename: Jigeeshu V
authors.initials: JV
authors.lastname: Divatia
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesia Critical Care and Pain, Division of Critical Care Medicine, Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.
authors.forename: Atul Prabhakar
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Kulkarni
keywords: Complications; critically ill; intrahospital transport