Transport of Sick Infants and Children

Abstract

Due to centralization and resource optimization, treatment of severely ill children and patients with complex diseases can only be provided in highly specialized tertiary centers. To ensure optimal care, sick children must therefore be transported safely to these hospitals, sometimes over considerable distances. The transport modus should fulfill the special needs of the pediatric and neonatal patients with its unique anatomic and physiologic conditions requiring trained and skilled staff and specially equipped vehicles. Field triage is needed to discriminate between the more and less-severely injured and find the optimal mode of transport. Transport team and vehicle should be an extension of the pediatric or neonatal intensive care unit, able to supply the technical facilities for advanced critical care management for children of all ages in the area of primary care and during transport to the hospital. During the past two decades, the approach of pediatric transport care has changed dramatically considering the knowhow, capabilities, and transportation of neonates, infants, and older children. This chapter aims to describe current considerations regarding the different transportation modalities and age-dependent requirements.