Objective: To study the application of the regional critical neonatal emergency transport system (NETS) to provide evidence for the optimization of NETS in Beijing.
Methods: All the transported neonates in four hospitals in Haidian District, Beijing, between January 2009 and September 2010 were enrolled. The relevant clinical information of two referral hospitals was analyzed.
Results: The top three conditions requiring transport were pre-term delivery, diseases requiring surgical treatment, and respiratory diseases, which accounted for 33.1%, 18.3%, and 14.8%, respectively. Active transport was performed in 95 cases (66.9%) and passive transport in 47 cases (33.1%). The age distribution of the neonates requiring transport was as follows: <6 hrs after birth (24.1%); 6-12 hrs (9.3%); 12-24 hrs (25.9%); and >24 hrs (40.8%). The mean time for transport from the hospital to a referral ward by ambulance was 28.0±11.1 minutes. Diseases requiring emergency surgical treatment were the leading cause of death, accounting for 53.8% of total deaths. The mortality rate was not significantly different between the neonates aged <6 hrs and ≥6 hrs groups.
Conclusions: Active transport remains the main transport pattern among these four hospitals. Neonates requiring surgical treatment have a high mortality rate, and thus special attention should be paid to their transport.