Since March 1, 113 patient transports have been used to relocate severely coronary patients due to lack of space. This shows a review that Sweden Radio has done with statistics from the Swedish Intensive Care Register. The relocators have sometimes been within the region, but also to nearby regions or more distant hospitals.
- Organizing transport of seriously ill, often severely obese patients is not an ambulance transport. There is an incredible amount of preparation and it is risky to transport these patients, says Karin Frisell, chief physician and medical officer at IVA at Mälarsjukhuset to Sweden Radio.
Mälar Hospital in Eskilstuna has sent about 20 patients to other regions. The hospitals in Nyköping and Eskilstuna have made 30 removals of intensive care patients with coronary illness from the Sörmland region. For Region Stockholm, there are about 40 moves.
Study shows that mortality is increasing
Fredric Parenmark is chief physician at Gävle Hospital. He is one of the people behind a study that shows that intensive care patients who have to be relocated due to lack of space or other resources are at increased risk of dying.
- It is serious that patients have to be moved. What we can see is that they are usually very fragile in their breathing and if you move them in an ambulance or helicopter there is a risk of complications of course, says Fredric Parenmark to Sweden Radio.