The world’s only critical care paramedic team providing neonatal, pediatric and maternity care.
The BCEHS Infant Transport Team (ITT) was established in 1976 to provide emergency medical care to BC pediatric, neo-natal and high-risk obstetrics patients while en route to specialized care units in hospitals within British Columbia.
The Infant Transport Team (ITT) paramedics who provide care to these special groups have received extensive training in pediatric, neonatal and maternal care and have many years of experience and education in other areas of paramedicine. It is the only paramedic-based critical care team in the world that serves three distinct patient groups. ITT paramedic training has continued to grow since its inception, with paramedics now being licensed in BC as critical care paramedics before beginning a specialty with the Infant Transport Team.
The goal of the ITT is to extend intensive care unit (ICU)-level care to outlying communities with the oversight and support of physician groups from the pediatric ICU, neonatal ICU and maternal-fetal medicine at BC Children's Hospital and BC Women's Hospital + Health Centre.
Based out of BC Children's Hospital in Vancouver, the ITT uses helicopters, jets and turbo prop aircraft to reach patients across the province. For local transports or during inclement weather, the team uses specialized ground ambulances as an alternative to air transport.
Emergency medical equipment used by the ITT is consistently becoming smaller, lighter, and more advanced. This has allowed the team to deliver better care with mechanical ventilators, humidifiers, nitric oxide delivery systems, infusion pumps, incubators, phototherapy devices, point of care lab testing, ultrasounds, and monitors.
New Critical Care Paramedics are complete an eight-to-ten-month competency-based training program to learn to care for neonates and children from zero days of life to 17 years of age.
- Umbilical Line placement and management
- Arterial line placement and management
- C-Mac Video laryngoscope for intubation
- Mechanical Ventilation and Respiratory Support of neonates and pediatrics
- CPAP, BiPAP, Hi-Flow, Invasive Ventilation
- Use of a transport incubator
- Application of Ultrasound for initial and ongoing assessment and placement of invasive indwelling vascular access
