#258 Wheels of Risk: When Patient Safety Rolls Through Hospital Corridors

The journey between hospital departments can be the most dangerous part of a patient's perioperative experience. This eye-opening episode dives deep into the hidden risks of intra-hospital patient transport. We examine the current literature on transport safety with particular focus on the challenges faced by anesthesia professionals. The data is sobering — between 4-9% of transported patients require medical intervention due to transport-related complications. With increasing production pressure, decreased support personnel, and rising patient acuity, we ask the critical question: are we transporting patients safely?We break down transport-related adverse events into essential categories: respiratory, cardiovascular, neurological, and equipment-related. The 2023 I-TOUCH study provides valuable insights, showing cardiac events, respiratory complications, neurologic issues, and equipment problems as the most common challenges during transport. We explore how patient factors (age, illness severity, ventilation requirements) and system factors (transport duration, communication gaps, staff experience) contribute to these risks.Beyond patient safety, we discuss the often-overlooked physical risks to anesthesia professionals themselves, who report high rates of work-related musculoskeletal injuries from maneuvering heavy transport equipment while managing patient care. The good news? Evidence-based guidelines exist to mitigate these risks. Join us next week as we continue this crucial conversation with practical recommendations from the American College of Critical Care Medicine and the Society of Critical Care Medicine for safer perioperative patient transport.Have you experienced challenges during patient transport? Share your experiences and learn from colleagues by emailing [email protected] or visiting apsf.org for more resources on perioperative safety.For show notes & transcript, visit our episode page at apsf.org: https://www.apsf.org/podcast/258-wheels-of-risk-when-patient-safety-rolls-through-hospital-corridors/© 2025, The Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation