Transporting critically ill patients. American College of Critical Care Medicine, Society of Critical Care Medicine, and American Association of Critical-Care Nurses.

Guidelines for transporting critically ill patients were published simultaneously in the June 1993 issue of Critical Care Medicine (21[6]:931-7) and the May 1993 issue of the American Journal of Critical Care (2[3]:189-95). Developed by a task force composed of members from the American College of Critical Care Medicine, the Society of Critical Care Medicine, and the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN), these guidelines, summarized below, outline the reasons and requirements for transporting patients, including the personnel who should be involved and the equipment (including monitors) that should accompany the patient. The task force's recommendations are consistent with ECRI's previous recommendations, also summarized below, but are more comprehensive and stringent in some respects and provide additional details.