General Interfacility Transfer Guidelines
Request for a flight may originate from a physician or their designated representative. An advanced life support (ALS) unit with a specialty care environment is required during transport; ALS exceeds routine use of cardiac monitor, oxygen, and IV fluid maintenance.
Request a flight if:
- A patient's condition requires transfer to a facility with a higher level of care per regional/state transfer protocols and air medical transport would significantly reduce the interfacility transport time.
- A patient is returning to a lower level of care or to their community hospital after stabilization and requires advanced life support or specialty care during transport.
- To transport blood, blood products, organs, medications, or medical equipment.
- To transport medical personnel for organ retrieval or specialty care.
Examples of patient care situations:
- The patient is a high-risk infant requiring the expertise of the regional neonatal transport team.
- The patient is a high-risk mother requiring transfer to a regional perinatal center.
- The patient is an infant or child with a history/evidence of unstable vital signs specific for their age who requires pediatric advanced life support.
- The patient is an adult who requires advanced life support and has a history/evidence of unstable vital signs manifested by:
- Systolic blood pressure less than 90
- Respiratory rate less than 10 or greater than 35
- Heart rate less than 50 or greater than 130
Utilization Criteria
Medical
- Smoke inhalation/carbon monoxide poisoning
- Status epilepticus
- OD/poisoning/envenomation
- Near drowning
- Respiratory distress with cyanosis and/or requiring ventilatory support
- Cardiac dysrythmia with hemodynamic compromise
- Altered mental status and/or coma scale less than 10
- Abdominal pain suggesting a life-threatening condition
- Chest pain/MI
- Neurological emergencies such as CVA
- Endocrine emergencies
Trauma/Surgical
- Head and/or CNS injuries or complications
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- Degloving injury
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- Fractures complicated by suspected neurovascular compartment injury or hypotension
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- Fractures of the axial skeleton
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- Pelvic fractures
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- Fractures of two or more major long bones
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- Burns greater than 10% of the body surface or burns involving the face, respiratory system, neck, mouth, hands, feet, or perineum
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- Amputation with potential for reimplantation
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- Traumatic monoplegia, quadriplegia, paraplegia
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- Oral-facial trauma requiring placement of an airway
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- Blunt or penetrating thoracic or abdominal trauma with respiratory compromise or hemodynamic instability
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- Multiple injuries, including pelvis
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- A traumatic event with other serious risk factors, i.e. COPD, diabetes, congestive failure, and a trauma score of less than 12
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