A survey of interhospital transport of the critically ill child in the United Kingdom.

Nineteen paediatric intensive care units were surveyed by questionnaire to provide information on the number of interhospital transfers, the experience of personal accompanying the critically ill child and the equipment available to maintain intensive care during transfer. Replies were received from 17 units. An estimated 800 transfers are performed annually. Three units routinely send intensive care staff to collect patients with an estimated 60% of transfers performed by a variety of staff from referring hospitals. Most respondents believed that existing arrangements for transfer were unsatisfactory, but only four units said that transfer may be prevented or delayed by lack of facilities. We believe that any plan to centralize paediatric intensive care in the UK should also include the means by which to transfer the patient without increasing the risk to the patient.