Frequency and Risk of Emergency Medical Service Interhospital Transportation of Patients with Acute Lower Respiratory Tract Illness During the COVID-1

This article discusses challenges associated with transport of critically ill COVID-19 patients to manage patient surge and ensure patient loads are balanced among hospitals. The authors compared data before and during the pandemic pulled from an emergency medical services database to determine the association of patient transport with severe deterioration of a patient’s condition in patients with lower respiratory tract illness. They found that patient transport did not increase cardiac arrest, advanced airway placements, or noninvasive positive pressure ventilation, including during subsequent waves of COVID-19.