Purpose: Critical care transport is associated with a high rate of adverse events, and the risks and outcomes of transporting critically ill patients during the COVID-19 pandemic have not been previously described.
Materials and methods: We performed a retrospective review of transports of subjects with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 from sending hospitals to tertiary care hospitals in Boston. Follow-up data were obtained for patients transported between March 1st and April 20th, 2020.
Results: Of 254 charts identified, 250 patients were transported. Nine patients (3.5%) had cardiac arrest prior to transport. Twenty-nine (11.6%) had hypotension, 22 (8.8%) had a critical desaturation, and 4 (1.6%) had both en route. Hospital follow-up data were available for 189 patients. Of those intubated during their hospitalization, 44 (25.0%) had died, 59 (33.5%) had been extubated, and 13 (17.6%) had been discharged alive. For the subgroup with prior cardiac arrest, follow-up data available for 6. Of these 6, 2 died and 4 (66.7%) have been discharged alive.
Conclusions: Few patients with COVID-19 had an adverse event in transport. The in-hospital mortality rate was 25%, with a 33.5% extubation rate. Patients resuscitated from cardiac arrest prior to transport had a 66.7% discharge rate among those transported to consortium hospitals.
Keywords: COVID-19; acute respiratory distress syndrome; critical care transport; mortality.