13th SIBEN Clinical Consensus on Neonatal Transport: Establishing structured protocols for the neonatal transport process could improve outcomes

Lemus-Varela M.L.; Golombek S.G.; Sola A.; Davila-Aliaga C.R.; Pleitez J.; Baquero-Latorre H.; Celiz M.; Fernández P.; Lara-Flores G.; Lima-Rogel M.V.; Mir R.; Bueno M.M.T.; Neira F.; Sánchez-Coyago J.; Young A.; del Socorro A.P.A.; Gabriela A.; Sonia A.; Laura Á.G.; Silvia A.; Luis B.; Rossana B.; Enrique B.V.F.; Ariel B.; Sebastián B.; Lupe C.D.; Marcelo C.; Nieves C.; Ofelia C.; Elizabeth C.; Bibiana C.J.; Tania C.O.; Judith D.; Alexander D.C.; Ana D.; Melida E.; Diana F.; Verónica F.; Steffani F.J.; Larissa G.; Graciela G.; Sergio G.; Zandra G.; Mariela J.; José L.; Alexander L.; Ernesto M.R.L.; Cecilia M.; Elina M.I.; Monica M.; Marcela M.; Nicolás M.; Cristian M.; Karina M.X.; Francisco N.; Luis O.J.; Anabell P.; Antonieta R.R.M.; Hermelinda R.C.; Van Hetten Wine Inés R.; Isabel R.M.E.; Cristina S.; Ignacio S.; Vallejo S.; Liseth V.M.; Elena V.M.; Lorena V. · NeoReviews (2024) · DOI: 10.1542/neo.25-11-e677

Resumen

The centralization of high-risk births in hospitals with the highest level of neonatal care is essential to increase maternal-neonatal safety and improve outcomes. Therefore, it is highly recommended the timely transfer to tertiary care centers of high-risk pregnant women and/or with threats of preterm birth. However, it is not always possible to anticipate the risks prenatally. This results in the need to transfer neonates in critical condition. Unfortunately, the mobilization of these newborns further compromises their health status, especially in Latin American countries. This narrative reports the results of the XII SIBEN Clinical Consensus on Neonatal Transport. In this Consensus, 65 members of SIBEN (Neonatologists and Nurses from 14 Latin American countries) collaborated during 2022, before, during and after the meeting that took place in Mérida, Yucatan, México on November 12, 2022. In this joint meeting the recommendations conveyed here were agreed upon. SIBEN recommends improving health regionalization policies in Latin America, ensuring that there is absolute equity and trying to ensure that tertiary level units do not concentrate only in large cities. It is necessary to improve neonatal transport processes and systematically protocolize each step, to improve outcomes. This includes early risk identification, whenever possible prenatally, continuously maintaining communication channels in a three-way manner: referring hospital, receiving hospital and personnel carrying out the transfer. This would lead to a correct and timely transfer with a wide margin of security.