OBJECTIVE: Evaluate factors associated with hypothermia and increased need of oxygen and/or ventilatory support during intra-hospital transport of neonatal intensive care patients. METHODS: Prospective study of infants admitted to a single neonatal unit in need of at least one intra-hospital transport during weekdays, from 8:00AM to 05:00PM, from January 1997 to December 2000. Factors associated with hypothermia and increased need of oxygen and/or need of ventilatory support during and up to two hours after transport were studied by regression analyses. RESULTS: During the study period, 502 transports were analyzed. At the time of transport, the neonates had a mean weight and gestational age of, respectively, 2,000g and 35 weeks, and they were 22 days old. The main reasons for transport were: surgery and image exams. Hypothermia occurred in 17% of the transported infants and increased need of oxygen and/or ventilatory support in 7%. Factors associated with hypothermia were: duration of transportation >3h (OR=2.1; 95%CI=1.2-3.6), neurologic malformation (OR=1.7; 95%CI=1.1-2.5), transport performed in 1997 (OR=1.7; 95%CI=1.1-2.6) and weight at time of transport >3,500g (OR=0.3; 95%CI=0.16-0.68). Factors associated with increased need of oxygen and/or ventilation support were: gestational age at birth in weeks (OR=0.9; 95%CI=0.8-0.9), age in days at transportation (OR=1.0; 95%CI=1.0-1.1) and presence of gastrointestinal and genitourinary malformation (OR=3.1; 95%CI=1.6-6.2). CONCLUSIONS: Complications related to neonatal intra-hospital transports are frequent and associated with the patients’ characteristics and transport conditions.
transportation of patients; infant, newborn; intensive care units
