Intrahospital Transport of Neuro ICU Patients

Safety of Air Medical Transportation After Tissue Plasminogen Activator Administration in Acute Ischemic Stroke

“…Studies examining the safety of transferring patients with acute neurological disorders within the hospital have found a 10% incidence of adverse events related to the transfer itself. 7 Among the most frequent complications reported are obtun- Acute confusion 1 (4) dation, hypertension, hypotension, oxygen desaturation, electrocardiographic changes, and respiratory distress. 7 Serious untoward events, including chest pain, arrhythmias, hypotension, cardiac arrest, and seizures, have been reported in 49% of cardiac patients transferred by air compared with 15% transferred by ground.…”

“…7 Among the most frequent complications reported are obtun- Acute confusion 1 (4) dation, hypertension, hypotension, oxygen desaturation, electrocardiographic changes, and respiratory distress. 7 Serious untoward events, including chest pain, arrhythmias, hypotension, cardiac arrest, and seizures, have been reported in 49% of cardiac patients transferred by air compared with 15% transferred by ground. 2 It has been hypothesized that noise, vibration, gravitational and rotational forces, and psychological stress may account for the high complication rate.…”

Is Your Patient Ready for Transport? Developing an ICU Patient Transport Decision Scorecard

“…Proximity may provide a false sense of safety for staff transporting the patient. As Kalisch et al (1995) have identified, the monitoring of patients can decrease significantly during transport, and important physiologic changes may not be identified. This might lead to an adverse event regardless of where DI is located.…”

Impact of a preventive programme on the occurrence of incidents during the transport of critically ill patients

“…Studies have reported incidents in up to 70% of transports (Lovell et al, 2001;Waydhas, 1999;Zuchelo and Chiavone, 2009). Different categories of incidents have been identified, such as equipment failure, clinical deterioration, inadequate monitoring and incorrect set-up of equipment, inadequate communications, as well as prolonged hospital stay (Beckman et al, 2004;Braman et al, 1987;Caruana and Culp, 1998;Day, 2010;Hurst et al, 1992;Kalish et al, 1995;Lanher et al, 2007;Ligtenburg et al, 2005;Link et al, 1990;Lovell et al, 2001;Mazza et al, 2008;Shirley and Stott, 2001;Smith et al, 1990;Szem et al, 1995;Waydhas, 1999;Waydhas et al, 1995;Zuchelo and Chiavone, 2009). Considering the magnitude of the problem, guidelines promoting measures to ensure safe critically ill patients' transport have been established by critical care societies (Australasian College for Emergency Medicine [ACEM], 2003a,b;Ferdinante, 1999;Intensive Care Society, 2011;SIAARTI Study Group for Safety in Anesthesia and Intensive Care, 2006;Warren et al, 2004) and specialised transport teams created (Bellingan et al, 2000;Edge et al, 1994;Gebremichael et al, 2000;McLenon, 2004;Orr et al, 2009;Ramnarayan et al, 2010;Stearley, 1998;Wallen et al, 1995;Wiegersma et al, 2011).…”