Incubators for ground transports

[sharon <sharono_55@yahoo.com>]

 My Nurse Manager asked me to check with other programs that do ground
transport of neonates in incubators.  We have been using the Airshields
incubator set up that is on its' own wheels and have had hydraulic
lifts on the back of the ambulances that pull out to load.  One of our
rigs has recently been having a lot of trouble with the lift, and the
folks who furnish our drivers have been trying to say that this is a
bad setup anyway and we should go with incubators on ambulance cots, so
if there is a breakdown any service could give us a lift.  The question
we have is of anyone who has used both types of setups, which worked
best or did you prefer?  Pros and cons from anyone with experience?  My
concerns are would we be risking increased back injuries and or cot
wheels failure to lock?  These incubator systems can be very heavy when
they are fully loaded with monitors, vent, O2 and air tanks, etc.  The
other thing I'm not completely sure of, are the locking mechanisms in
ambulances compatible with all cots-if we did require roadside
assistance from another local service?
Thanks for any input you can give us on this.
Sharon Olson,RN,CCRN
Neo/Peds Transport
University of Iowa Health Care
Iowa City, Iowa

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