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Observational Study
. 2015 Apr 28;5(4):e006801.
doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2014-006801.

Short-term outcomes and mortality after interhospital intensive care transportation: an observational prospective cohort study of 368 consecutive transports with a mobile intensive care unit

Ulrich Strauch  1 , Dennis C J J Bergmans  1 , Bjorn Winkens  2 , Paul M H J Roekaerts  1
Affiliations
Observational Study

Short-term outcomes and mortality after interhospital intensive care transportation: an observational prospective cohort study of 368 consecutive transports with a mobile intensive care unit

Ulrich Strauch et al. BMJ Open. .

Abstract

Objectives: To evaluate short-term outcomes and mortality after interhospital transportation of intensive care patients performed by a mobile intensive care unit (MICU).

Setting: This study was performed in the tertiary care process of interhospital transportation using the local MICU system in the South East of the Netherlands.

Participants: Between March 2009 and December 2011, all transports of adult patients being performed by the local MICU centre have been documented; data on 42 variables, including a 24 h follow-up Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score of 368 consecutive interhospital transports of intensive care patients, were recorded. In 24 cases, the follow-up SOFA score was missing, so 344 data sets were included.

Interventions: No interventions have been done.

Primary/secondary outcome measures: Primary outcome measures were the mean SOFA score before and 24 h after transport, and the 24 h post-transport mortality. Moreover, the differences between the groups of 24 h post-transport survivors and non-survivors have been analysed.

Results: The mean SOFA score before transport was 8.8 for the whole population and 8.6 for those patients who were alive 24 h after transport, with a mean SOFA score of 8.4 after transport. The adverse events rate was 6.4%. Fourteen patients (4.1%) died within 24 h after transport. Patients in this group had a higher SOFA score, lower pH, higher age and more additional medical support devices than those patients in the survivor group.

Conclusions: The non-significant decrease in the post-transport SOFA score and the lack of an association between transport and 24 h post-transport mortality indicates that in the study setting, interhospital transportation of intensive care patients performed by a MICU system was not associated with a clinically relevant deterioration of the patient.

Keywords: EDUCATION & TRAINING (see Medical Education & Training); TRAUMA MANAGEMENT.

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