Contact us at 314.454.6265 or 800.888.6265
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St. Louis Children's Hospital offers the most extensive and experienced critical care transport teams in the Midwest. Our teams have a physician on all missions, as well as access to the specialty care resources available at the hospital. Each mission is tailored specifically to the individual child that we are transporting, from the physician utilized on the trip, to the equipment taken on the transport.
Every mission executed by the team is staffed by a specially trained physician as well as a critical care nurse and paramedic. Respiratory therapists may accompany the team, as needed. On-call team physicians include 2nd and 3rd year residents who have completed rotations in the PICU and NICU. In addition, we have a group of pediatric hospitalists and NICU and PICU fellows as team members.
- We currently require a minimum of 5 years of experience in the NICU, PICU or Pediatric ER for our nurses.
- Paramedic requirements include a minimum of 5 years of experience in a busy ALS 911 EMS System.
- Team members are also expected to keep up certifications in BLS, ACLS, PALS and NRP.
- Trauma education is also required, with many of the team members holding certification in ITLS and PHTLS.
- Further certification such as CCRN, CFRN, FP-C, CCEMT-P and PNCCT are not required but encouraged.
Although our team has flown missions across the United States and into Canada, our primary response area includes hospitals in Missouri and Illinois. For transports in these areas our team will be en route to a referring hospital within 30 minutes. Areas outside our primary response area, requiring the use of a fixed wing aircraft, have a slightly longer response time due to the logistics of using the fixed wing and complying with FAA regulations.
Upon arrival at the referring hospital, patients are stabilized and readied for transport. When possible, care is provided in concert with the referring hospital staff. The team also follows a policy of family-based care, and when possible family members are encouraged to be present.
When the patient is ready for transport, the team physician calls Children’s and relays any specific care needs to the receiving physician. If there are any changes while en route to Children’s, the team has the ability to communicate these to the receiving unit so that the child will receive the care he or she needs.
The transport team obtains follow-up information for the referring hospitals. This allows the staff to understand what has happened to children after their transfer. The follow-up is reported to referring hospitals within a few days of admission to Children’s Hospital. Transport protocol includes a follow-up survey after every transport to assure that the quality of services continually improves.
The transport team believes that education is the best way to help hospitals care for critically ill or injured children and works closely with community hospital nursing staffs to ensure that patients are properly prepared for transport.
The transport team is also available for many types of in-service presentations to community hospitals, including programs on the handling of pediatric emergencies and patient stabilization for transport and case presentations. Please direct questions to the team. The office number is 314.454.4350.