Hurricane Katrina: emergent interstate transport of an evacuee on biventricular assist device support.

In many U.S. hospitals, mechanical circulatory support has become routine. However, catastrophes such as Hurricane Katrina test the abilities of a hospital system to sustain patients on such support and transport them in emergent situations. A 15-year-old boy with dilated cardiomyopathy who was receiving biventricular mechanical circulatory support at a New Orleans hospital was successfully transported by Angel One Transport from Arkansas Children's Hospital across state lines to Texas Children's Hospital, where he was stabilized and received an orthotopic heart transplant.