• H E Stearley.
• University of Missouri Hospitals and Clinics, Columbia, USA.
• Am. J. Crit. Care. 1998 Jul 1; 7 (4): 282-7.

BackgroundIntrahospital transportation of critically ill patients can contribute to patients' morbidity and mortality.ObjectiveTo determine adverse outcomes associated with intrahospital transportation of critically ill patients by a specially trained nursing transport team.MethodsMonitoring and intervention data were collected for 237 instances of transportation of patients between a hospital's ICUs and radiology suites. These results were compared with the results of national studies on complication rates associated with intrahospital transportation of patients.ResultsThe patients moved by the specially trained transport team has a 15.5% overall complication rate, with 10.2% minor, 2.5% moderate (compensated for with medications), and 2.8% severe complications that did not respond to intervention. No medications of therapies were delayed, and only 2 patients (0.8%) had decompensation that required the examinations to be aborted. Reported national complication rates for intrahospital transportation of patients are as high as 75%; the complications include adverse events such as delayed administration of medications, significant changes in vital signs, dislodgment of artificial airways and i.v. catheters, and cardiopulmonary arrest.ConclusionUse of a specially trained ICU transport team can substantially reduce the rate of adverse outcomes generated by the transportation of critically ill patients for specialized radiological procedures.

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