Abstract
Objective
Critical care transport involves a high level of intensive clinical care in a resource-limited
environment. These patients require multiple assessments guiding specialty treatments,
including blood product administration, intravenous electrolyte replacement, ventilator
management, and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. This study aims to measure the
usage of point-of-care (POC) laboratory data during critical care transport.
Methods
Data were collected via electronic medical record review over 1 year of use in a hospital-based
critical care rotor wing, fixed wing, and ground critical care transport team in the
Southeastern United States.
Results
One hundred twenty POC tests were performed during 1,075 critical care transports
over the 1-year period (8.9%). Patient transportations involved 35 extracorporeal
membrane oxygenation, 21 medical, 17 cardiac, 13 neonatal, 11 respiratory failure,
8 gastrointestinal bleeding, 6 neurologic, 5 pediatrics, 3 trauma, and 1 organ donor.
Seventy-eight POC laboratory tests (65%) required intervention, including ventilator
changes (39.7%), electrolyte replacement (35.8%), blood products (7.6%), and other
(12.8%). The remaining 42 (35%) POC laboratory tests confirmed no intervention was
necessary (n = 35) and that ongoing treatments were effective (n = 7).
Conclusion
POC laboratory testing performed during critical care transport guides providers in
performing essential emergent interventions in a timelier manner that may benefit
critically ill patients.
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: November 03, 2020
Identification
Copyright
© 2020 Air Medical Journal Associates. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
