Stabilisation and Transport of the Critically Ill Child

Since the Department of Health Report 'Paediatric Intensive Care: A framework for the future' in 1997, paediatric intensive care services have been centralised and 24-hour retrieval services developed. However, all hospitals admitting critically ill children must be able to resuscitate and stabilise prior to retrieval, and occasionally undertake the 'timecritical' transfers themselves. This article reviews the clinical and organisational skills involved in the retrieval process, and also suggests ways in which knowledge and skills can be maintained. © The Intensive Care Society 2014.