Interhospital transports and mortality in patients with critical COVID-19: a single-centre cohort study

In our study, IHT due to capacity constraints among critically ill COVID-19 patients was not associated with a higher mortality risk. The suitability for transfer was likely associated with lower mortality, although residual confounding cannot be ruled out. The requirement for invasive ventilation among transferred patients might account for the extended length of ICU stay, rather than the transfer itself. However, the difficulty in studying this issue lies in the fact that while patients are likely exposed to risks during transfer, they are simultaneously the patients stable enough to be transported.