Nurses versus physician-led interhospital critical care transport: a randomized non-inferiority trial

Emergency critical care: closing the gap between onset of critical illness and intensive care unit admission

Critical illness is an exquisitely time-sensitive condition and follows a disease continuum, which always starts before admission to the intensive care unit (ICU), in the majority of cases even before hospital admission. Reflecting the common practice in many healthcare systems that critical care is mainly provided in the confined areas of an ICU, any delay in ICU admission of critically ill patients is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. However, if appropriate critical care interventions are provided before ICU admission, this association is not observed. Emergency critical care refers to critical care provided outside of the ICU. It encompasses the delivery of critical care interventions to and monitoring of patients at the place and time closest to the onset of critical illness as well as during transfer to the ICU. Thus, emergency critical care covers the most time-sensitive phase of critical illness and constitutes one missing link in the chain of survival of the critically ill patient. Emergency critical care is delivered whenever and wherever critical illness occurs such as in the pre-hospital setting, before and during inter-hospital transfers of critically ill patients, in the emergency department, in the operating theatres, and on hospital wards. By closing the management gap between onset of critical illness and ICU admission, emergency critical care improves patient safety and can avoid early deaths, reverse mild-to-moderate critical illness, avoid ICU admission, attenuate the severity of organ dysfunction, shorten ICU length of stay, and reduce short- and long-term mortality of critically ill patients. Future research is needed to identify effective models to implement emergency critical care systems in different healthcare systems.

Mobile Critical Care in Resource-Limited Settings: An Unmet Need

Care of the critically ill in resource-limited areas, inside or outside the intensive care unit (ICU), is indispensable. Murthy and Adhikari noted that about 70% of patients in low-middle income (LMIC) areas could benefit from good critical care. Many patients in resource-limited settings still die before getting to the hospital. Investing in capacity building by strengthening and expanding ICU capability and training intensivists, critical care nurses, respiratory therapists, and other ICU staff is essential, but this process will take years. Also, having advanced healthcare facilities that are still far from remote areas will not do much to alleviate distance and mode of transportation as barriers to achieving good critical care. This paper discusses the importance of mobile critical care units (MCCUs) in supporting and enhancing existing emergency medical systems. MCCUs will be crucial in addressing critical delays in transportation and time to receive appropriate lifesaving critical care in remote areas. They are incredibly versatile and could be used to transfer severely ill patients to a higher level of care from the field, safely transfer critically ill patients between hospitals, and, sometimes, almost more importantly, provide standalone short-term critical care in regions where ICUs might be absent or immediately inaccessible. MCCUs should not be used as a substitute for primary care or to bypass readily available services at local healthcare centers. It is essential to rethink the traditional paradigm of 'prehospital care' and 'hospital care' and focus on improving the care of critically ill patients from the field to the hospital.

The association of intensive care capacity transfers with survival in COVID-19 patients from a Scottish district general hospital: A retrospective cohort study

Background: During the second wave of COVID-19 cases within Scotland, local evidence suggested that a large number of interhospital transfers occurred due to both physical capacity and staff shortages. Although there are inherent risks with transferring critically ill patients between hospitals, there are signals in the literature that mortality is not affected in COVID-19 patients when transferred between intensive care units. With a lack of evidence in the Scottish population, and as the greatest source of capacity transfers in our critical care network at that time, we sought to determine whether these transfers impacted on survival to hospital discharge.Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of all patients admitted to our unit between the 1st October 2020 and the 31st March 2021 with a primary diagnosis of COVID-19 pneumonia. Patients were grouped according to whether they underwent an interhospital capacity transfer or not, either for unit shortage of beds or unit shortage of staff. The primary outcome measure was survival to ultimate hospital discharge, and secondary outcomes included total ventilator days and total intensive care unit length of stay. Baseline characteristic data were also collected for all patients. Survival data were entered into a backward stepwise logistic regression analysis that included transfer status, and coefficients transformed into odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals.Results: A total of 108 patients were included. Of these, 30 were transferred to another intensive care unit due to capacity issues at the base hospital. From the baseline characteristic data, age was significantly higher in those transferred out, while other characteristics were similar. Unadjusted mortality rates were 30.8% for those not transferred, and 40% for those transferred out. However, when entered into a logistic regression analysis to attempt to control for confounders in the baseline characteristics, being transferred had an odds ratio of 1.14 (95% confidence interval 0.43-3.1) for survival to hospital discharge. Total ventilator days and total ICU length of stay were both higher in the transferred patients.Conclusion: This unique study of COVID-19 patients transferred from a Scottish district general hospital did not show an association between transfer status and survival to hospital discharge. However, the study was likely underpowered to detect small differences. As the situation continues to evolve, a prospective regional multi-centre study may help to provide more robust findings.

Strategies for a safe interhospital transfer with an intubated patient or where readiness for intubation is needed: A critical incidents study

INTRODUCTION

The number of interhospital transports with intubated patients or where intubation readiness is required is increasing in Sweden and globally. Specialist nurses are often responsible for these transports, which involve numerous risks for critically ill patients.

AIM

The aim of this study was to describe nurse anaesthetists' and intensive care nurses' strategies for safe interhospital transports with intubated patients or where intubation readiness is required.

METHOD

A qualitative study was conducted using the critical incident technique. During March and April 2020, 12 semi-structured interviews were conducted with nurse anaesthetists and intensive care nurses. Data were analysed according to the critical incident technique, and a total of 197 critical incidents were identified. The analysis revealed five final strategies for safe interhospital transport.

RESULTS

Participants described the importance of ensuring clear and adequate information transfers between caregivers to obtain vital patient information that enables the nurse in charge to identify risks and problems in advance and create an action plan. Stabilising and optimising the patient's condition before departure and preparing drugs and equipment were other strategies described by the participants, as well as requesting assistance or support if questions or complications arose during transport.

CONCLUSION

Transports with intubated patients or where intubation readiness is required are complex and require systematic patient-safety work to ensure that strategies for increasing patient safety and decreasing risks are visible to the nurses in charge, that they are applied, and that they are, indeed, effective.

Interfacility Transport of Critically Ill Patients

OBJECTIVES

To assess recent advances in interfacility critical care transport.

DATA SOURCES

PubMed English language publications plus chapters and professional organization publications.

STUDY SELECTION

Manuscripts including practice manuals and standard (1990-2021) focused on interfacility transport of critically ill patients.

DATA EXTRACTION

Review of society guidelines, legislative requirements, objective measures of outcomes, and transport practice standards occurred in work groups assessing definitions and foundations of interfacility transport, transport team composition, and transport specific considerations. Qualitative analysis was performed to characterize current science regarding interfacility transport.

DATA SYNTHESIS

The Task Force conducted an integrative review of 496 manuscripts combined with 120 from the authors' collections including nonpeer reviewed publications. After title and abstract screening, 40 underwent full-text review, of which 21 remained for qualitative synthesis.

CONCLUSIONS

Since 2004, there have been numerous advances in critical care interfacility transport. Clinical deterioration may be mitigated by appropriate patient selection, pretransport optimization, and transport by a well-resourced team and vehicle. There remains a dearth of high-quality controlled studies, but notable advances in monitoring, en route management, transport modality (air vs ground), as well as team composition and training serve as foundations for future inquiry. Guidance from professional organizations remains uncoupled from enforceable regulations, impeding standardization of transport program quality assessment and verification.

Comparison of patient characteristics and long‐term mortality between transferred and non‐transferred COVID‐19 patients in Dutch Intensive Care Units; A national cohort study

Background

COVID‐19 patients were often transferred to other intensive care units (ICUs) to prevent that ICUs would reach their maximum capacity. However, transferring ICU patients is not free of risk. We aim to compare the characteristics and outcomes of transferred versus non‐transferred COVID‐19 ICU patients in the Netherlands.

Methods

We included adult COVID‐19 patients admitted to Dutch ICUs between March 1, 2020 and July 1, 2021. We compared the patient characteristics and outcomes of non‐transferred and transferred patients and used a Directed Acyclic Graph to identify potential confounders in the relationship between transfer and mortality. We used these confounders in a Cox regression model with left truncation at the day of transfer to analyze the effect of transfers on mortality during the 180 days after ICU admission.

Results

We included 10,209 patients: 7395 non‐transferred and 2814 (27.6%) transferred patients. In both groups, the median age was 64 years. Transferred patients were mostly ventilated at ICU admission (83.7% vs. 56.2%) and included a larger proportion of low‐risk patients (70.3% vs. 66.5% with mortality risk <30%). After adjusting for age, APACHE IV mortality probability, BMI, mechanical ventilation, and vasoactive medication use, the hazard of mortality during the first 180 days was similar for transferred patients compared to non‐transferred patients (HR [95% CI] = 0.99 [0.91–1.08]).

Conclusions

Transferred COVID‐19 patients are more often mechanically ventilated and are less severely ill compared to non‐transferred patients. Furthermore, transferring critically ill COVID‐19 patients in the Netherlands is not associated with mortality during the first 180 days after ICU admission.

The QUality of Interhospital Transportation in the Euregion Meuse-Rhine (QUIT-EMR) score: a cross-validation study

OBJECTIVES

Interhospital transports of critically ill patients are high-risk medical interventions. Well-established parameters to quantify the quality of transports are currently lacking. We aimed to develop and cross-validate a score for interhospital transports.

SETTING

An expert panel developed a score for interhospital transport by a Mobile Intensive Care Unit (MICU), the QUality of Interhospital Transportation in the Euregion Meuse-Rhine (QUIT-EMR) score. The QUIT-EMR score is an overall sum score that includes component scores of monitoring and intervention variables of the neurological (proxy for airway patency), respiratory and circulatory organ systems, ranging from -12 to +12. A score of 0 or higher defines an adequate transport. The QUIT-EMR score was tested to help to quantify the quality of transport.

PARTICIPANTS

One hundred adult patients were randomly included and the transport charts were independently reviewed and classified as adequate or inadequate by four transport experts (ie, anaesthetists/intensivists).

OUTCOME MEASURES

Subsequently, the level of agreement between the QUIT-EMR score and expert classification was calculated using Gwet's AC₁.

RESULTS

From April 2012 to May 2014, a total of 100 MICU transports were studied. The median (IQR) QUIT-EMR score was 1 (0-2). Experts classified six transports as inadequate. The percentage agreement between the QUIT-EMR score and experts' classification for adequate/inadequate transport ranged from 84% to 92% (Gwet's AC₁0.81-0.91). The interobserver agreement between experts was 87% to 94% (Gwet's AC₁0.89-0.98).

CONCLUSION

The QUIT-EMR score is a novel validated tool to score MICU transportation adequacy in future studies contributing to quality control and improvement.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

NTR 4937.

Safety Matters: A Meta-analysis of Interhospital Transport Adverse Events in Critically Ill Patients

OBJECTIVE

Interhospital transport (IHT) is common among critically ill patients. Our meta-analysis investigated the prevalence and possible factors associated with adverse events (AEs) during IHT.

METHODS

Searching PubMed, Embase, and Scopus databases until February 12, 2021, we included studies that a priori defined AEs for adult medical patients. We excluded case reports, non-full-text, and non-English language studies. We performed a random effects meta-analysis and moderator analyses.

RESULTS

We identified 554 studies and included 19 studies (14,969 patients) in our final analysis. The mean patients' (standard deviation) age was 60 (13.7). The pooled medical AEs for IHT was 1,059 (11%, 95% confidence interval, 7.5%-16%). The most common AE (n, %) was hypotension (424, 2.8%). Moderator analyses and meta-regressions suggested that conditions (P < .001) such as respiratory failure from coronavirus infection (88%), stroke (19%), and the need for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (40%) were associated with higher AE prevalence. Transport by nurses (31%) and physicians (11%) was associated with a higher AE prevalence, whereas transport type did not influence AE prevalence.

CONCLUSION

Our study suggests the prevalence of AEs of critically ill patients during IHT is low and likely due to patients' disease severity. Further studies should focus on interventions to mitigate AEs to improve patients' outcomes.

Collective Critical Care Ambulance: an innovative transportation of critical care patients by bus in COVID-19 pandemic response

BACKGROUND

During the COVID-19 pandemic, as the number of available Intensive Care beds in France did not meet the needs, it appeared necessary to transfer a large number of patients from the most affected areas to the less ones. Mass transportation resources were deemed necessary. To achieve that goal, the concept of a Collective Critical Care Ambulance (CCCA) was proposed in the form of a long-distance bus re-designed and equipped to accommodate up to six intensive care patients and allow Advanced Life Support (ALS) techniques to be performed while en route.

METHODS

The expected benefit of the CCCA, when compared to ALS ambulances accommodating a single patient, was to reduce the resources requirements, in particular by a lower personnel headcount for several patients being transferred to the same destination. A foreseen prospect, comparing to other collective transportation vectors such as airplanes, was the door-to-door capability, minimalizing patients' handovers for safety concerns and time efficiency. With the project of a short-distance transfer of several Intensive Care Unit (ICU) patients together, the opportunity came to test the CCCA under real-life conditions and evaluate safely its technical feasibility and impact in time and resources saving, before it could be proposed for longer distances.

RESULTS

Four COVID-19 patients were transported over 37 km. All patients were intubated and under controlled ventilation. One of them was under Norepinephrine support. Mean loading time was 1 min 39 s. Transportation time was 29 min. At destination, the mean unloading time was 1 min 15 s. No serious adverse effect, in particular regarding hemodynamic instability or ventilation disorder, has been observed. No harmful incident has occurred.

CONCLUSIONS

It was a very instructive test. Collective medical evacuation by bus for critically ill patients under controlled ventilation is suitable and easy to implement. Design, ALS equipment, power autonomy, safety and resources saving, open the way for carrying up to 6 ICU-patients over a long distance. The CCCA could bring a real added-value in an epidemic context and could also be helpful in many other events generating multiple victims such as an armed conflict, a terrorist attack or a natural disaster.

Mechanical ventilation of patients in helicopter emergency medical service transport: an international survey

BACKGROUND

Mechanical ventilation in helicopter emergency medical service (HEMS) environments is a procedure which carries a significant risk of complications. Limited data on the quality and performance of mechanical ventilation in HEMS are available in the literature.

METHOD

We conducted an international survey to evaluate mechanical ventilation infrastructure in HEMS and collect data of transported ventilated patients. From June 20-22, 2019, the participating HEMS bases were asked to provide data via a web-based platform. Vital parameters and ventilation settings of the patients at first patient contact and at handover were compared using non-parametric statistical tests.

RESULTS

Out of 215 invited HEMS bases, 53 responded. Respondents were from Germany, Denmark, United Kingdom, Luxembourg, Austria and Switzerland. Of the HEMS bases, all teams were physician staffed, mainly anesthesiologists (79%), the majority were board certified (92.5%) and trained in intensive care medicine (89%) and had a median (range) experience in HEMS of 9 (0-25) years. HEMS may provide a high level of expertise in mechanical ventilation whereas the majority of ventilators are able to provide pressure controlled ventilation and continuous positive airway pressure modes (77%). Data of 30 ventilated patients with a median (range) age of 54 (21-100) years and 53% male gender were analyzed. Of these, 24 were primary missions and 6 interfacility transports. At handover, oxygen saturation (p < 0.01) and positive end-expiratory pressure (p = 0.04) of the patients were significantly higher compared to first patient contact.

CONCLUSION

In this survey, the management of ventilated HEMS-patients was not associated with ventilation related serious adverse events. Patient conditions, training of medical crew and different technical and environmental resources are likely to influence management. Further studies are necessary to assess safety and process quality of mechanical ventilation in HEMS.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

The survey was prospectively registered at Research Registry ( researchregistry2925 ).

Data quality of Glasgow Coma Scale and Systolic Blood Pressure in scientific studies involving physician-staffed emergency medical services: Systematic review

BACKGROUND

Emergency physicians on-scene provide highly specialized care to severely sick or injured patients. High-quality research relies on the quality of data, but no commonly accepted definition of EMS data quality exits. Glasgow Coma Score (GCS) and Systolic Blood Pressure (SBP) are core physiological variables, but little is known about the quality of these data when reported in p-EMS research. This systematic review aims to describe the quality of pre-hospital reporting of GCS and SBP data in studies where emergency physicians are present on-scene.

METHODS

A systematic literature search was performed using CINAHL, Cochrane, Embase, Medline, Norart, Scopus, SweMed + and Web of Science, in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines. Reported data on accuracy of reporting, completeness and capture were extracted to describe the quality of documentation of GCS and SBP. External and internal validity assessment was performed by extracting a set of predefined variables.

RESULTS

We included 137 articles describing data collection for GCS, SBP or both. Most studies (81%) were conducted in Europe and 59% of studies reported trauma cases. Reporting of GCS and SBP data were not uniform and may be improved to enable comparisons. Of the predefined external and internal validity data items, 26%-45% of data were possible to extract from the included papers.

CONCLUSIONS

Reporting of GCS and SBP is variable in scientific papers. We recommend standardized reporting to enable comparisons of p-EMS.

[Appropriate allocation of resources for interhospital transfer in emergency medical service-is a physician in the dispatch center helpful?]

BACKGROUND

The number of interhospital transfers is constantly increasing because of specialization of medical facilities, capacity balancing between intensive care units as well as earlier rehabilitation procedures. This leads to an increase in requests for emergency physicians to accompany patient transfers. This study investigated whether clarification of interhospital transport by an emergency physician at the dispatch center can optimize the use of emergency services resources.

METHOD

All transport clarifications performed by a tele-emergency physician between 1 January 2018 and 31 December 2019 were retrospectively analyzed as well as the transport request forms. Furthermore, all data on the number and alarmed rescue resources for interhospital transfers in the city of Aachen from 2013 onwards were exported from the dispatch center databank and included in the evaluation.

RESULTS

In total 2333 requests for interhospital patient transfers from 2018 and 2019 were analyzed as well as 10,923 transports recorded from 2013 to 2019. The number of patient transfers accompanied by an emergency physician from 2013 to 2019 was significantly reduced from 786 (68.2%) to 495 (30.5%, p > 0.001). The correct resources of rescue vehicles and staff was requested in 1816 cases (77.8%). The urgency of emergency patient transfers was correctly evaluated in 567 (89.2%) cases. In total 526 assignments were carried out without an emergency physician and 315 of these patients were accompanied by a tele-emergency physician during transfer.

CONCLUSION

The immediate clarification of interhospital transport requests by an emergency physician at the dispatch center leads to a significant reduction in unnecessary medical accompaniment of patient transfers. The choice of an appropriate transfer vehicle and staff should not be left to the requesting hospital physician alone.

Incidence and Risk Factors of Clinical Deterioration during Inter-Facility Transfer of Critically Ill Patients; a Cohort Study

INTRODUCTION

Critically ill and injured patients are at a higher risk of developing clinical deterioration during inter-facility transfers. This study aimed to determine the incidence rate and risk factors of clinical deterioration among critically ill patients during inter-facility transfers in Thailand.

METHODS

The present cohort study was conducted in 22 referring hospitals and 7 receiving hospitals under the supervision of Ministry of Public Health, Thailand, between March 15 and December 31, 2018. The subjects were comprised of 839 critically ill patients aged 18 and over, 63 coordinator nurses in referral centers, and 312 referral team leaders. Data collected included pre-transfer risk score, clinical data of patient during transfer, characteristics of referral team leader, ambulance type, preparation time, time to definitive care, transfer distance, and National Early Warning Score (NEWS) (clinical deterioration). Multilevel mixed-effects regression analysis was performed.

RESULTS

The incidence rate of clinical deterioration was 28.69%. The most common types of clinical deterioration were hemodynamic instability, respiratory instability, and neurological alteration. Time between 31-45 minutes was significantly associated with clinical deterioration (β 0.133, P value 0.027). The following illnesses were associated with higher probability of clinical deterioration: body region injuries/head injury/burn/ingested poison (β 0.670, P value 0.030), respiratory distress/convulsion (β 0.919, P value 0.001), shock/ arrhythmias/chest pain/hemorrhage (β 1.134, P value <0.001), comatose/alteration of consciousness/syncope (β 1.343, P value <0.001), and post-cardiac arrest (β 2.251, P value <0.001). Patients with unstable conditions (β 1.689, P value 0.001) and pre-transfer risk score of 8 or higher (β 0.625, P value 0.001) had a higher rate of deterioration. Transfer by non- emergency room (ER) nurses (β 0.495, P value 0.008) and transportation in a mobile intensive care unit (ICU) were associated with a higher rate of deterioration (β 0.848, P value 0.001).

CONCLUSION

The incidence of clinical deterioration during inter-facility transfer in Thailand was high. Illnesses involving circulatory, respiratory, and neurological systems, clinical instability, high pre-transfer risk score, transport time of 31-45 minutes, transportation by non-ER nurse, and mobile ICU were associated with a higher rate of clinical deterioration.

Safety of inter-hospital transfer of patients with acute ischemic stroke for evaluation of endovascular thrombectomy

Stroke networks facilitate access to endovascular treatment (EVT) for patients with ischemic stroke due to large vessel occlusion. In this study we aimed to determine the safety of inter-hospital transfer and included all patients with acute ischemic stroke who were transferred within our stroke network for evaluation of EVT between 06/2016 and 12/2018. Data were derived from our prospective EVT database and transfer protocols. We analyzed major complications and medical interventions associated with inter-hospital transfer. Among 615 transferred patients, 377 patients (61.3%) were transferred within our telestroke network and had transfer protocols available (median age 76 years [interquartile range, IQR 17], 190 [50.4%] male, median baseline NIHSS score 17 [IQR 8], 246 [65.3%] drip-and-ship i.v.-thrombolysis). No patient suffered from cardio-respiratory failure or required emergency intubation or cardiopulmonary resuscitation during the transfer. Among 343 patients who were not intubated prior departure, 35 patients (10.2%) required medical interventions during the transfer. The performance of medical interventions was associated with a lower EVT rate and higher mortality at three months. In conclusion, the transfer of acute stroke patients for evaluation of EVT was not associated with major complications and transfer-related medical interventions were required in a minority of patients.

The Patient's Situation During Interhospital Intensive Care Unit-to-Unit Transfers: A Hermeneutical Observational Study

Interhospital intensive care unit-to-unit transfers are an increasing phenomenon, earlier mainly studied from a patient safety perspective. Using data from video recordings and participant observations, the aim was to explore and interpret the observed nature of the patient's situation during interhospital intensive care unit-to-unit transfers. Data collection from eight transfers resulted in over 7 hours of video material and field notes. Using a hermeneutical approach, three themes emerged: being visible and invisible; being in a constantly changing space; and being a fettered body in constant motion. The patient's situation can be viewed as an involuntary journey, one where the patient exists in a constantly changing space drifting in and out of the health personnel's attention and where movements from the journey become part of the patient's body. Interhospital transfers of vulnerable patients emerge as a complex task, challenging the health personnel's ability to maintain a caring atmosphere around these patients.

[Tele-emergency physician : New care concept in emergency medicine]

BACKGROUND

Telemedical concepts, already successfully established in various clinical areas, such as radiology, are increasingly being implemented in the preclinical setting throughout Germany (tele-emergency physician).

OBJECTIVE

The aim of the article is to present the objectives and requirements as well as the practical implementation and the potential indications for a telemedical emergency system in the preclinical situation.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Discussion of scientific facts and expert recommendations, specifically from experiences of the tele-emergency physician (Telenotarzt) project in an urban environment (City of Aachen). In addition, reference is made to a second pilot project in a rural region (Straubing, Bavaria).

RESULTS

The successful implementation of a prehospital telemedical emergency system requires a specific framework, in particular of a legal and technical nature. In order to achieve optimal process quality it is important to establish a comprehensive concept that takes aspects of patient safety into account. The entire dispatch process in the control center as well as the training of all involved personnel must also be taken into consideration.

CONCLUSION

With its special structures and processes, the overall concept of the telemedical emergency physician meets the changing challenges in the preclinical healthcare system and opens up new possibilities for patient care that meet the current requirements.

Effect of Specialized Critical Care Transport Unit on Short-Term Mortality of Critically ILL Patients Undergoing Interhospital Transport

Objective: To minimize risk and prevent harmful incidents during interhospital transport, the critical care transport unit service called Seoul Mobile Intensive Care Unit (SMICU) was organized and initiated its service within the city of Seoul. We sought to evaluate the effectiveness of critical care transport units on outcomes of critically ill patients undergoing interhospital transport in Seoul. Methods: A retrospective observational case-control study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of critical care transport units on outcomes of critically ill patients undergoing interhospital transport. ED patients transported from other hospitals in Seoul during 2016 were identified in the National Emergency Department Information System (NEDIS) and according to use of the SMICU. One-to-one propensity matching was performed to balance covariates between groups. The association of SMICU transport on survival outcome was calculated in a multivariable logistic regression model. Results: Among 42,188 ED patients transported from other hospitals in 2016, 482 (1.1%) of patients were transported by SMICU. Patients transported by SMICU had a higher proportion of severe emergency disease and use of a mechanical ventilator. The adjusted odds ratio for 24-hour mortality after interhospital transport was 0.45 (95% CI: 0.26-0.81) in total cohort and was 0.34 (95% CI: 0.16-0.71) in a one-to-one propensity-matched cohort. Conclusions: Transport by specialized critical care transport unit for patients undergoing interhospital transport was associated with lower 24-hour mortality, demonstrating the benefits of the SMICU.

Quelle place pour des IDE en pratique avancée en soins critiques ?

Le métier d’IDE en pratique avancée (IPA) a été créé en France, et 12 universités ont été habilitées en 2018 à délivrer le diplôme d’État d’IPA, de niveau master 2. De nombreux arguments plaident en faveur de la formation d’IPA en soins critiques (IPASC) : les IDE représentent une force disponible de professionnels de santé dont les compétences peuvent être étendues par des formations appropriées, dans un environnement de complexité technique croissante ; il est nécessaire d’améliorer l’attractivité des IDE pour la réanimation; il existe un manque d’effectifs médicaux en réanimation et une difficulté à assurer une permanence des soins de qualité dans certains services ; enfin, les IPASC existent déjà dans de nombreux pays. Le rôle clinique spécifique pourra comporter des activités d’évaluation clinique, de réalisation de gestes techniques, de prescriptions thérapeutiques, de consultation en et hors réanimation. Le rôle d’encadrement pourra comporter la rédaction des procédures de prescriptions et de soins, la formation et l’encadrement technique des IDE, l’évaluation des pratiques professionnelles et la recherche. Enfin, les IPASC pourraient participer à la fiabilisation de la permanence des soins dans certains services. Le cadre d’activité de l’IPASC, mis en place, à la carte, selon un protocole d’organisation défini avec l’équipe du service, devra ainsi répondre aux objectifs fixés par la création de cette nouvelle profession : améliorer l’accès aux soins, promouvoir une plus grande qualité des soins, améliorer l’attractivité et les perspectives de carrière des IDE dans un cadre de maîtrise des coûts de santé.

Impact of physician-less pediatric critical care transport: Making a decision on team composition

PURPOSE

To explore the impact of a physician non-accompanying pediatric critical care transport program, and to identify factors associated with the selection of specific transport team compositions.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Children transported to a Canadian academic children's hospital were included. Two eras (Physician-accompanying Transport (PT)-era: 2000-07 when physicians commonly accompanied the transport team; and Physician-Less Transport (PLT)-era: 2010-15 when a physician non-accompanying team was increasingly used) were compared with respect to transport and PICU outcomes. Transport and patient characteristics for the PLT-era cohort were examined to identify factors associated with the selection of a physician accompanying team, with multivariable logistic regression with triage physicians as random effects.

RESULTS

In the PLT-era (N=1177), compared to the PT-era (N=1490) the probability of PICU admission was significantly lower, and patient outcomes including mortality were not significantly different. Associations were noted between the selection of a physician non-accompanying team and specific transport characteristics. There was appreciable variability among the triage physicians for the selection of a physician non-accompanying team.

CONCLUSIONS

No significant differences were observed with increasing use of a physician non-accompanying team. Selection of transport team compositions was influenced by clinical and system factors, but appreciable variation still remained among triage physicians.

Effect of Interhospital ICU Relocation on Patient Physiology and Clinical Outcomes

Relocation of large numbers of critically ill patients between hospitals is sometimes necessary and the risks associated with relocation may be high. In the setting of adherence to an interhospital intensive care unit (ICU) relocation protocol, we aimed to determine whether the interhospital relocation of all ICU patients in a single day is associated with changes in vital signs, device removal, and worse clinical outcomes. We conducted a prospective, observational, cohort study of all critically ill adults admitted to a tertiary medical center's ICUs on the day of a planned hospital relocation and exposed to interhospital ICU relocation compared with unexposed critically ill adults. Changes in vital signs were evaluated by the before-and-after interhospital relocation measurement of vital signs, and clinical outcomes were collected for all patients. A total of 699 patients were admitted to the ICU during the observation period, 24 of whom were exposed to interhospital ICU relocation on a single day. The median interhospital transport duration was 28 minutes (interquartile range: 24-35) and 29% of patients were receiving invasive mechanical ventilation. Patients exposed to interhospital ICU relocation had no significant change in any vital sign measurement and no devices were unintentionally removed. Inhospital mortality was similar (8.3%) to patients not exposed to interhospital ICU relocation (9.2%, P > .99). In the setting of adherence to an ICU relocation protocol, the interhospital ICU relocation of all critically ill adults during a single day is not associated with changes in vital signs, device removal, or worse clinical outcomes.

QUIT EMR trial: a prospective, observational, multicentre study to evaluate quality and 24 hours post-transport morbidity of interhospital transportation of critically ill patients: study protocol

INTRODUCTION

It is widely accepted that transportation of critically ill patients is high risk. Unfortunately, however, there are currently no evidence-based criteria with which to determine the quality of various interhospital transport systems and their impact on the outcomes for patients. We aim to rectify this by assessing 2 scores which were developed in our hospital in a prospective, observational study. Primarily, we will be examining the Quality of interhospital critical care transportation in the Euregion Meuse-Rhine (QUIT EMR) score, which focuses on the quality of the transport system, and secondarily the SEMROS (Simplified EMR outcome score) which detects changes in the patient's clinical condition in the 24 hours following their transportation.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

A web-based application will be used to document around 150 pretransport, intratransport and post-transport items of each patient case.To be included, patients must be at least 18-years of age and should have been supervised by a physician during an interhospital transport which was started in the study region.The quality of the QUIT EMR score will be assessed by comparing 3 predefined levels of transport facilities: the high, medium and low standards. Subsequently, SEMROS will be used to determine the effect of transport quality on the morbidity 24 hours after transportation.It is estimated that there will be roughly 3000 appropriate cases suitable for inclusion in this study per year. Cases shall be collected from 1 April 2015 until 31 December 2017.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

This trial was approved by the Ethics committees of the university hospitals of Maastricht (Netherlands) and Aachen (Germany). The study results will be published in a peer reviewed journal. Results of this study will determine if a prospective randomised trial involving patients of various categories being randomly assigned to different levels of transportation system shall be conducted.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

NTR4937.

The Importance of Ground Critical Care Transport

Critical care transport (CCT) teams are specialized transport services, comprised of highly trained paramedics, nurses, and occasionally respiratory therapists, offering an expanded scope of practice beyond advanced life support (ALS) emergency medical service teams. We report 4 cases of patients with severe acute respiratory distress syndrome from influenza in need of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation evaluation at a tertiary care center, transported by ground. Our medical center did not previously have a ground CCT service, and therefore, in these cases, a physician and/or a respiratory therapist was sent with the paramedic team. In all 4 cases, the ground transport team enhanced the intensive care provided to these patients prior to arrival at the tertiary care center. In 2 of the cases, although limited by the profound hypoxemia, the team decreased the pressures and tidal volumes in an effort to approach evidence-based ventilator goals. In 3 cases, they stopped bicarbonate drips being used to treat mixed metabolic and respiratory acidosis, and in 1 case, they administered furosemide. In 1 case, they started cisatracurium, and in 3 others, they initiated inhaled epoprostenol. Existing literature supports the use of CCT teams over ALS teams for transport of the most critically ill patients, and helicopter CCT is not always available or practical. Therefore, offering comparable air and ground options, with similar staffing and resources, is a hallmark of a mature medical system with an integrated approach to CCT.