Ambulance Transport Intervals for Children and Adults With Anaphylaxis: A Retrospective Analysis

Anaphylaxis is a potentially fatal condition that can cause respiratory or cardiac arrest within 30 minutes. Therefore, it is important to shorten the interval from the emergency call to hospital arrival as much as possible. However, in rural areas, ambulance transport intervals may be greater for children than for adults with anaphylaxis because of the lack of nearby pediatric medical facilities. Thus, we aimed to compare ambulance transport intervals between children and adults with anaphylaxis.

This retrospective observational study used data from the Kochi-Iryo-Net database. We included patients with anaphylaxis who were transported to the emergency department between April 1, 2015, and March 31, 2021. Children were defined as those aged <15 years. The primary outcome measure was the total time required for ambulance transportation, consisting of dispatch time (from call to on-site arrival), on-site time (from arrival to departure), and travel time (from departure to hospital arrival). To adjust for patient background, we performed multiple linear regression analyses including age group, sex, illness severity, and ambulance department location.

During the study period, 797 patients with anaphylaxis were transported to the emergency department, among whom 155 (19.4%) were children. There was no significant difference in the total ambulance transport interval (children: 31 minutes vs. adults: 32 minutes, p = 0.41). However, the interval from on-site departure to hospital arrival was five minutes longer for children (16 minutes vs. adults: 11 minutes, p < 0.01).

While no significant difference was observed in the total transport interval between children and adults, pediatric patients experienced longer travel times. Enhancing pediatric transport logistics, such as expanding access to pediatric-capable facilities or revising Emergency Medical Services triage and destination protocols, may help reduce this delay.