The Interhospital Air Transport Score (IATS) can be used to evaluate a critically-ill patient being transported by air, typically in transfer between hospitals. It consists of measures for the level of care required, the severity of the patient's illness, and the complexity of moving the patient. The authors are from Frankfurt and Wiesbaden in Germany.
Measures:
(1) care level
(2) illness severity level
(3) transport ability level
Care Required |
Level of Care |
Code |
requires attention or assistance 0-3 times per day |
low |
L |
requires attention or assistance every 2 hours |
intermediate |
I |
all children younger than 4 years of age |
intermediate |
I |
continuous surveillance required |
high |
H |
Illness Severity Parameter |
Finding |
Points |
rhythm |
sinus |
0 |
|
arrhythmia without hemodynamic impact |
1 |
|
arrhythmia with hemodynamic impact |
2 |
blood pressure |
stable |
0 |
|
stable, but requires support |
1 |
|
requires maximum support |
2 |
respiration |
no impairment, with oxygen saturation > 95% on room air at ground level |
0 |
|
inhalation (oxygen) |
2 |
|
mechanical ventilation |
4 |
cerebral function |
Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) 15 |
0 |
|
GCS 9 to 14 |
2 |
|
GCS 3 to 8 |
4 |
where:
• Table 2 on page 155 has GCS > 8 as 2 points and GCS < 8 as 4 points, with no GCS = 8.
illness severity score =
= SUM(points for all 4 parameters)
Transport Ability Parameter |
Finding |
Points |
cooperation |
fully cooperative |
0 |
|
partially cooperative or somnolent |
2 |
|
noncooperative or unconscious |
4 |
mobilization |
full mobilization and/or 1 peripheral venous access |
0 |
|
partial mobilization |
2 |
|
1 peripheral line and (urine catheter or oxygen mask) |
2 |
|
1 central line and (urine catheter or oxygen mask) |
2 |
|
nonmobilized and/or bulky bandages, extensions |
4 |
infectious |
noninfectious |
0 |
|
infectious by blood or specimen |
4 |
|
infectious by aerosol or contact |
8 |
mechanical ventilation |
no |
0 |
|
may become necessary |
4 |
|
yes |
8 |
airleak |
no |
0 |
|
may develop |
4 |
|
yes |
8 |
transport ability score =
= SUM(points for all 5 parameters)
Interpretation:
• minimum illness severity level: 0
• maximum illness severity level: 12
• minimum transport ability level: 0
• maximum transport ability level: 32
• The higher the illness severity level, the sicker the patient.
• The higher the transport ability level, the more complicated the transport.
Specialty: Critical Care, Emergency Medicine
ICD-10: ,