Transport Services

Ready for your call, day or night, by ground or air. The St. Louis Children's Hospital critical care transport team offers the most comprehensive and experienced pediatric, maternal-fetal, and newborn transport service in the Midwest. Transportation uses a highly specialized fleet of mobile intensive care units (MICUs), helicopters, and a fixed-wing airplane.

Each transport mission is tailored to meet the needs of the child or expectant mother. Our expertly trained medical team consists of two clinicians and a mobile intensive care unit (MICU) operator.

• The clinician role is composed of two registered nurses, or a registered nurse and a critical care paramedic.
• The MICU operator is an emergency medical technician-basic (EMT-B) or a paramedic.
• Depending upon the needs of the individual, the team may also include a specialized physician or a specialist, such as a WashU Medicine neonatologist.

Types of specialized transports we offer

• Pediatric critical care: Due to our high transfer volume, we have the experience to stabilize children for transport and provide advanced care while in transit. Our state-of-the-art vehicles feature medical equipment needed to stabilize a child, with kid-friendly additions such as baby blankets to provide comfort.
• ECMO: Patients with complex cardiac conditions and advanced lung disease are transported by a specially trained extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) team and mobile ECMO circuit. Learn more about ECMO transports.
• Maternal-fetal: Expectant moms requiring specialized transport have immediate access to a level of care unavailable through other regional transport programs. This joint effort between Barnes-Jewish Hospital and St. Louis Children’s features a three-person team: a high-risk obstetrical nurse to care for the mother, a neonate-trained nurse to care for the baby in the event of delivery, and a paramedic. Learn more about maternal-fetal transports.
• Neonatal: Infants requiring highly specialized care, including both surgical and subspecialist consultation, are transported by a team of neonate-trained nurses and paramedics. A neonatologist is also available to accompany the team if necessary. The team is specially equipped and prepared to initiate intensive care management in the field, including delivery of nitric oxide and high-frequency modes of ventilation.

How to make a referral

Transportation appointments are made only by a referral from a physician. Physicians can call Children’s Direct at 1-800-678-4357 to make a referral. Learn more about arranging a transport.