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

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.