Critical care retrieval of children with complex critical illness

Children with complex critical illness (CCI) make up an increasing proportion of patients admitted to paediatric critical care (PCC)1; they use disproportionate resources compared with previously well children and can present additional challenges for treating clinicians. 2The environment of paediatric critical care retrieval may compound these challenges. Paucity of information regarding diagnoses or previous presentations and uncertainty or discomfort managing complex patients in referring centres may delay discharge or trigger referral to specialist care.3