Problematique Liee aux transferts medicalises secondaires en Belgique: l'experience developpee au CHU de Liege

Evaluation of the aid of an emergency mobile unit to transfer monitorized patients to a University hospital, in the political context of regional care network offering highly qualified but restricted tertiary area centres, and an open prospective study conducted over the 5 first months in 2006. The call regulation was assessed by the emergency physician of the transfer team and all missions were concluded with an evaluating report. An amount of 197 requests were taken into account from which 80 % were addressed between 8 am and 8 pm. The mean average time interval for missions was 59 minutes (base to base) and the distance covered was 20.7 km as a mean. In essence, indications for medical secondary transfer regarded patients in need for acute coronary care (42.6%), specific intensive care (26.4%) and neurosurgical interventions (19.3%). We noted that endotracheal intubation occurred in only one case. Mortality during such a transfer activity was absent. Medical transfer unit allows the development of specific high qualified network resources owing to the secondary addressee of patients. However, the weak incidence of complication questions the practice of systematic medical accompanying during such transfers.