Pediatric EMS transport: are we treating children in a system designed for adults only?

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Emergency Medicine
• Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Systems
• Prehospital Care

Background:

• Pediatric patients, unlike adults, often do not require specialized transport equipment like stretchers or ambulances.
• This difference in transport needs may impact prehospital care efficiency for critically ill children.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the importance of differing pediatric patient transport needs in prehospital care.
• To compare the time to intubation (TTI) between standard ambulance transport and police car transport for pediatric patients with impending respiratory arrest.

Main Methods:

• A computer model (Macintosh Classic) was developed to simulate and compare TTI.
• Independent variables included scene-to-emergency department (ED) travel times and paramedic intubation success rates.
• The dependent variable was the time to intubation (TTI).

Main Results:

• Police transports showed shorter TTIs for short scene-to-ED travel times.
• Police transports were also advantageous when paramedic intubation success rates were limited.
• Standard paramedic/ambulance transport resulted in shorter TTIs for long scene-to-ED transports.

Conclusions:

• Non-ambulance transport for pediatric patients should be considered in urban/suburban pediatric EMS development.
• Optimizing transport methods can potentially improve outcomes for pediatric patients with respiratory emergencies.