Adverse Events during Intrahospital Transport of Critically Ill Patients: A Multicenter, Prospective, Observational...

Area of Science:

• Critical Care Medicine
• Patient Safety
• Healthcare Management

Background:

• Critically ill patients require frequent intrahospital transfers for diagnostics and treatments.
• These transports pose significant risks for adverse events (AEs).
• Understanding AE incidence and impact is crucial for improving patient outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the incidence, severity, and patient outcome effects of AEs during intrahospital transport.
• To identify predictors of AEs in critically ill patients undergoing intrahospital transport.

Main Methods:

• A multicenter prospective observational study involving 893 critically ill patients across 15 Indian tertiary care centers.
• Data collected included patient demographics, illness severity (APACHE II score), transport details, AEs, and patient outcomes.
• AEs and their predictors were analyzed over a 5-month period.

Main Results:

• 1065 intrahospital transports were analyzed, with 102 AEs recorded.
• Cardiovascular instability was the most frequent AE (30.4%).
• Independent predictors of AEs included higher APACHE II scores, emergent transport, and specific team compositions.

Conclusions:

• Intrahospital transport of critically ill patients is associated with a high incidence of AEs.
• Emergent transports and physician-led teams are linked to increased AE risk.
• Patient stabilization before transport and standardized protocols are recommended to enhance safety.