Miss Jenna McGeever1
1NETS NSW , Bankstown Aerodrome , Australia
Over the last 40 years the Newborn and paediatric Emergency Transport Service (NETS) in NSW has developed a retrieval service that provides safe and timely transportation of critically ill babies and children. The case described below demonstrates how NETS overcame the extreme challenges encountered in relation to clinical, logistical and coordination issues due to the remote location of the child.
NETS NSW was requested to retrieve a 2 year old child with breathing difficulties from A Multi-purpose service (MPS) with a 2 bed Emergency department. The patient presented hypoxic with severe work of breathing and showing signs of shock.
The patient was located approximately 400 km from Sydney. The NETS consultant gave initial phone advice to stabilise the patient and organised a team from the adult retrieval service to provide on the ground support to the GP and nursing staff until a NETS team arrived.
Due to the patient having a threatened airway it was determined that the patient was too unstable to move prior to having their airway secured. Ideally what was needed was a theatre for a gaseous induction, an anaesthetist, Pathology services and CXR facilities. None of which were available.
Despite the remoteness of the patient, the lack of an ideal location to intubate and the patient being a young child with a threatened airway, NETS were able to organise a team of specialists to travel to the patient to assist the retrieval team with securing the airway and then transport the patient to tertiary centre for ongoing care.
Biography:
Jenna is an clinical nurse specialist at NETS NSW and has been at NETS for the last 6 1/2 years. Jenna completed her nursing degree in Edinburgh Scotland and has undertaken further studies in Australia. Jenna has a keen interest in education and regularly teaches paediatric advance life support throughout Australia.