The Interhospital Air Transport Score (IATS)

Description

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.

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Description

Specialty

ICD-10