Are interfacility ground transports of patients utilizing intra-aortic balloon pumps safe?

To determine whether the interfacility ground transport of patients with intra-aortic balloon pumps results in morbidity or mortality during transfer.

Charts of all intra-aortic balloon pump transports by a private ambulance company occurring from January 1998 through December 1999 (24 months) were reviewed retrospectively. Records were assessed by a single reviewer for adverse events, explicitly defined as any notation on the record describing death, chest pain, dyspnea, altered mental status, device malfunction, bleeding, unstable vital signs (heart rate <50 beats/min or > or = 120 beats/min, respiratory rate <12 breaths/min or > or = 30 breaths/min, systolic blood pressure <90 mm Hg), or hypoxia (oxygen saturation <93%). Unstable vital signs as defined above did not count as adverse events if they represented a patient's baseline condition prior to transport.

Thirty-two transports were identified during the study period. Twenty-seven patients (84.4%) had no adverse events. There were no mortalities. Adverse events, none of which resulted in morbidity, were: 1) chest pain and transient paroxysmal atrial tachycardia (relieved with increasing the nitroglycerin infusion); 2) continuous mild chest pain (began during transport and diminished with giving sublingual nitroglycerin and increasing the nitroglycerin infusion); 3) dyspnea and hypoxia (relieved with increased oxygen); 4) transient hypotension (spontaneously resolved); 5) hypotension (resolved by increasing the dopamine infusion).

Although a few adverse events occurred, interfacility ground transport of patients with intra-aortic balloon pumps was not associated with morbidity or mortality in this study.