Retrieval of neonatal and paediatric patients on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support in New South Wales, Australia.

New South Wales has recently added the capability of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation to the neonatal and paediatric retrieval process and this paper describes the early experiences and protocol development for the first eight cases transported.

Potentially avoidable neonatal retrievals in New South Wales: a retrospective analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To identify areas for improvement in outcomes in retrieved newborns by reviewing newborn retrieval activity and evaluating potentially avoidable retrievals from each referring hospital stratified by the level of service delivery over the study period. DESIGN: A retrospective analysis of newborn retrievals from 1 January 2006 to 31 December 2009. SETTING: Newborn and Paediatric Emergency Transport Service (NETS). PARTICIPANTS: Newborns less than 72 hours old retrieved by NETS in the study period. Each retrieval was classified as potentially avoidable, unavoidable or unclassified, based on predefined criteria. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Newborn retrieval rates (per 10,000 live births) and potentially avoidable retrievals for each referring hospital level and overall. RESULTS: There were 2494 newborn retrievals over the study period, with an annual mean of 623 total and 30 potentially avoidable retrievals. There was a reduction in the potentially avoidable retrieval rate (per 10,000 live births) over the study period (from 3.9 in 2006 and 4.2 in 2007 to 2.2 in 2008 and 2.3 in 2009) despite an increase in the total retrieval rate over the same time. Discretionary caesarean, defined as elective (pre-labour) caesarean section without documented fetal or maternal indications before 39 completed weeks of gestation, accounted for two-thirds of the potentially avoidable retrievals. CONCLUSIONS: Potentially avoidable retrievals were a small but significant proportion and are becoming less frequent. Discretionary caesarean is the most common cause of potentially avoidable retrieval. Strict implementation of the elective caesarean section policy directive has the potential to reduce morbidity and the costs related to retrieval.

A quality audit of the service delivered by the NSW Neonatal and Paediatric Transport Service.

AIM: To discover areas of NSW Neonatal and Paediatric Transport Service's (NETS) work with which the parents, referring and receiving doctors are dissatisfied and respond to them. METHODS: An anonymous survey of referring doctors, parents of patients transported by NETS and receiving hospital doctors between July and December 2005. RESULTS: Referring doctors: Fifty-seven per cent of the 288 (30% response rate) doctors who responded were paediatricians and 43% worked in rural settings. Over 90% responded positively about communication with the NETS team at referral and retrieval. Useful feedback included the need to be more time efficient in phone communication and during stabilisation of the child and to improve feedback about management and patient outcomes. Parents: Forty-seven per cent of 152 responses (15% response rate) came from rural families. The majority (>98%) of parents felt that the NETS team were helpful and supportive of them. Parents reported being able to travel with their child 60% of the time and of those who could not, 95% could explain why. Receiving doctors: Ninety-three per cent of 218 responses (42% response rate) thought that the referral was appropriate, that the NETS teams carried out their advice correctly (98%) and that the child's needs were reported accurately by the team (90%). In a minority of retrievals important concerns were raised about ventilation, sedation, patient assessment and management. CONCLUSION: Most retrievals happen in a way that referring consultants, parents and receiving consultants find appropriate. Important suggestions for improvement in service delivery and some areas of risk to patient safety have been identified. Processes for overcoming these situations are being developed and implemented.

Transporting newborn infants with suspected duct dependent congenital heart disease on low-dose prostaglandin E1 without routine mechanical ventilation.

AIM: To evaluate the safety of transporting newborn infants with suspected duct dependent congenital heart disease (CHD) treated with prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) without routine mechanical ventilation. METHODS: A retrospective population-based audit of newborn infants with suspected CHD transported on PGE1 by the New South Wales newborn and paediatric Transport Service from 1995 through 2005. RESULTS: Mechanical ventilation was not used prior to treatment with PGE1 in 94 (31%) of the 300 infants. The indications for mechanical ventilation in the remaining 206 infants (69%) included elective mechanical ventilation because of the intention to use PGE1 (n = 125) and severe hypoxaemia, acidosis or cardiorespiratory failure prior to commencing PGE1 (n = 81). 16 (17%) of the 94 infants who were not ventilated initially required mechanical ventilation before transport because of apnoea, which developed within one hour of commencing PGE1. 2 (2.6%) of the 78 infants transported without mechanical ventilation developed apnoea in transit and both were receiving >or=15 ng/kg/min of PGE1. Apnoea was more likely to occur in non-ventilated infants when the PGE1 infusion rate was >or=15 ng/kg/min compared with <15 ng/kg/min (14/33 vs 4/61, chi(2) = 15.55, p<.001). CONCLUSIONS: Newborn infants with suspected duct dependent CHD treated with low dose PGE1 (<15 ng/kg/min) may not require mechanical ventilation for safe transport.