[Five decades of premature infant rescue and transport in Hungary]

Due to alarming mortality rates in the 1960-70s, a central decision was made to centralize preterm infant care. Following an Anglo-Saxon model based on regionalization and a network of progressive care, nine perinatal intensive centers were already operating nationwide by 1979. However, a specialized neonatal transport service was only launched in the central region in 1989 with the Peter Cerny Foundation Ambulance Service. Its history can be divided into four periods: I. Transport with general-purpose ambulances and staff (1976-1988): guided by the "scoop and run!" principle (also known as "gas-pedal therapy"). Neonatal transport was performed nationwide by emergency medical (oxyological) ambulances, supplemented by some neonatal equipment. A leading figure in developing ward and transport care and the creative domestic adaptation of Western techniques was Professor János Kiszel. II. Specially designed neonatal ambulance (1989-2008): acting as the "extended arm" of the intensive care center, this era was built on the principle: "Arrive as soon as possible, start or take over resuscitation, stabilize the patient, and make them transportable." Most neonatal transport services nationwide still operate primarily on this principle. III. Multifunctional neonatal ambulances (2009-2017): equipped with dual incubators, this model was based on the principle: "Replace unnecessary transport with on-site deployable telemedicine." Its development in the central region was justified by the high volume of round-trip transports for diagnostic purposes. In this "transport-replacing" activity, the diagnostic equipment travels to the patient rather than the patient to the diagnostic center. IV. Next-generation transport model (2018-2025): this concept ensures definitive care in the central region of Hungary by following the principle: "Don't just stabilize and prepare for transport, but become the most modern mobile intensive unit right on-site." This model is not satisfied with widely used "safe" transport procedures and tools; instead, it strives to bring the full arsenal of the latest diagnostic and therapeutic equipment to the scene. Orv Hetil. 2026; 167(23): 891-904.