Inter Hospital Transport of Critically Ill Patients: Problems and Pitfalls

摘要

You are an intensivist and team leader for a “Critical Care Transportation Team”, consisting of an ICU nurse, CCM physician and technologist. The team frequently goes out by helicopter to small outlying hospitals where medical disasters happen that they do not have the technology or expertise to deal with effectively. The team brings with it technology and expertise needed to stabilize disasters before transport to tertiary medical centers for definitive treatment. This expertise includes intubation, aggressive fluid, inotrope, vasopressor management and placement of portable intra-aortic balloon. However the team members all go home at 6 pm and must come in from home if called in the middle of the night. In addition, during bad weather, the helicopter does not fly and so the team must go by ground ambulance.