Evacuation of a Tertiary Neonatal Centre: Lessons from the 2016 Kumamoto Earthquakes.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Newborn infants hospitalised in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) are vulnerable to natural disasters. However, publications on evacuation from NICUs are sparse. The 2016 Kumamoto Earthquakes caused serious damage to Kumamoto City Hospital and its level III regional core NICU. Local/neighbour NICU teams and the disaster-communication team of a neonatal academic society cooperated to evacuate 38 newborn infants from the ward.

Objective

The aim of this paper was to highlight potential key factors to improve emergency NICU evacuation and coordination of hospital transportation following natural disasters.

Methods

Background variables including clinical risk scores and timing/destination of transportation were compared between infants, who subsequently we

SUBMITTER: Iwata O 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5872557 | biostudies-literature | 2017

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature