[Interhospital transportation of children from paediatric intensive care units within a major region]

Area of Science:

• Pediatric critical care
• Neonatal transport medicine
• Medical informatics in emergency care

Context:

• Regional reanimation-and-consultation centers (RCC) manage complex pediatric and neonatal patient transfers.
• Transportation of critically ill children, particularly newborns, presents significant logistical and medical challenges.
• Limited medical capabilities in referring therapeutic-and-prevention facilities (TPF) necessitate specialized inter-facility transport.

Purpose:

• To summarize the activity and outcomes of a regional reanimation-and-consultation center (RCC) in pediatric and neonatal transportation.
• To evaluate the impact of early re-hospitalization and expert system-guided preparation on patient outcomes.
• To assess the effectiveness of intensive care support during transport for critically ill children.

Summary:

• The study analyzed the transport of 3219 children, with 79.5% being newborns, by an RCC.
• Artificial lung ventilation (ALV) use increased from 50.8% to 82.6%, indicating sicker patients requiring advanced support.
• Mortality rates decreased significantly from 12.8% to 6.9% through early intervention, expert system (DINAR-2) use for preparation, and stabilization prior to transport.

Impact:

• Early re-hospitalization and optimized transport preparation led to improved survival rates in critically ill children.
• The use of the DINAR-2 expert system facilitated timely and effective preparation for patient transportation.
• Ensuring patient stabilization and adequate intensive care during transport allows for earlier initiation of specialized therapy, enhancing treatment quality and reducing intensive care unit (ICU) length of stay.