What is Transportation of Sick Newborn Infants with Heart Disease
Communication : The decision to transport a newborn to a tertiay referral centre with facilities for specialized care of neonates and infants with heart disease should be n joint one involving the referring pediatrician and the pediatric casdiology team.
Personnel for Neonatal transport : Whenever feasible, the newborn should be accompanied by the resident neonatologist/paediatrician taking care of the baby and a nurse. Both the team members should be familiar with the underlying condition and should be awase of the potential problems the newborn may Face during transport.
Monitoring During Transport : Ideally, it is necessary to continuously monitor ECG and oxygen saturations during transportation.
Care of the Newborn During Transport : A secure airway and an access are vital. Newborns on prostaglandin can have periods of apnea. For this reason a number of units in the west would routinely intubate and mechanically ventilate a newborn on prostaglandin infusion during transpoit. For a number of reasons this is not practical in the Indian scenario. Transportation while on prostaglandin infusion does amount Lo taking a
calculated risk.