Criteria for calling NETS — Infants & Children

NETS Clinical Coordination receives calls about children with life–threatening or potentially life–threatening conditions. A NETS team or adult medical retrieval team may be selected for certain older children depending on the nature of the clinical problem and the availability of resources. This decision is the responsibility of the pædiatric intensive care consultant.

The following are conditions that NETS would normally expect to be called about and then possibly retrieve:

1. Head injury (symptomatic).

2. Altered level of consciousness (for any reason).

3. Hypoxia despite oxygen therapy.

4. High oxygen requirement.

5. Respiratory failure (e.g. bronchiolitis, severe asthma, apnoea)

6. Upper airway obstruction.

7. Near drowning (especially with neurological depression or respiratory symptoms).

8. Ingestion with risk of circulatory, airway or neurological compromise.

9. Envenomation

10. Burns (see Department of Health Burns Transfer Guidelines July 1996)

a) > 10%

b) Encircling the neck or involving the airway, face, hands, feet, perineum, or inner joint surfaces.

c) Associated other significant injury

d) Electrical or chemical burns

11. Seizures (with persisting neurological depression)

12. Major trauma (including spinal injury)

13. Metabolic disturbance Eg.

a) Diabetic Keto–acidosis

b) Acidæmia

c) Severe biochemical abnormality

14. Heart failure or Arrhythmia (symptomatic)

15. Shock (requiring treatment with volume replacement or inotropes) eg.

a) Blood or fluid loss

b) Dehydration

c) Septicæmia

16. Other causes of neurological depression:

a) CNS infection

b) Acute Life Threatening Episode

17. Any condition with the potential for sudden cardiovascular or neurological deterioration.

Team composition options for pædiatric retrieval include:

1. NETS team

2. Adult team (metropolitan)

3. Adult team (regional).

4. Combination of the above.

While a NETS team transports the majority of older children, there are alternative options for selecting a team. However, only a NETS team can transport a sick newborn or infant. Therefore, at times of high team usage, NETS teams are preferentially committed to newborns and infants.