Southern Alberta Neonatal Transport Service (SANTS)
For SANTS team members, including Neonatologists, Fellows and other medical staff
The Southern Alberta Neonatal Transport Service (SANTS) is a team of specially trained healthcare professionals (Registered Nurses and Registered Respiratory Therapists) that assists in the stabilization and transport of newborns needing a higher level of care than their local health center can provide. These babies are transported to Neonatal Intensive Care Units or other pediatric facilities where they can receive the lifesaving care they need.
The SANTS team is based out of the Foothills Medical Centre NICU in Calgary, Alberta and provides service to the Calgary, Central and Southern Zones within Alberta Health Services, as well as other provinces when needed. The team can also assist with the insertion of neonatal PICC lines if this service is not available locally.
When not on transport, the SANTS team acts as a clinical resource to the FMC NICU providing multidisciplinary education, attending codes, and assisting or performing advanced skills (intubation, UVC/UAC insertion, PICC line insertion). Outreach Education is another important aspect of SANTS, providing the necessary teaching and skills to referral sites for the stabilization and care of sick neonates while awaiting the team.
RAAPID serves as the contact point for the referral site, SANTS team and the Transport Neonatologist. This conference call is recorded and serves as a "telephone consultation" between the referral site and SANTS team/Transport Neonatologist.
There are many reasons a baby might require transport, but the most common conditions requiring transport are: presentation to a non-delivering (Level 0) healthcare facility, prematurity (<35 weeks gestation), hypoglycemia, respiratory distress, Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE), and possible sepsis.
Referral site identifies an at-risk or sick neonate and initiates a RAAPID call. The SANTS team and Transport Neonatologist are paged with the RAAPID phone number and PIN to join the call.
The SANTS team asks the 4 questions: How old is the baby from birth (hours/days)? What is the gestational age of the baby? What FiO2 is the baby on, and what is the current oxygen saturation? What is the main concern requiring transport?
If the baby requires transport, the SANTS team will be mobilized by the Transport Neonatologist and prepare for departure.
The Transport Neonatologists can give advice on how to proceed with treatment/stabilization by phone or Telehealth.
The SANTS team arrives at the referral site, provides care as ordered by MRHP and/or Transport Neonatologist to stabilize the patient.
The SANTS team will do a "call-back" to the Transport Neo and receiving Neonatologist/Pediatrician, providing a thorough history, report and will recieve transport orders.
SANTS team transports patient to receiving site and gives handover to receiving medical and bedside staff.
Process, Documents and Resources for Receiving and Triaging RAAPID Calls
NICU Transport Calls
NICU Transport Calls- Out of Province
Occasionally, the SANTS team will be consulted for Out of Province (OOP) transports. The OOP Transport Pathway is very similar to the regular Pathway with some important distinctions:
NICU vs PICU Transport Calls
RAAPID referrals involving neonates may be attended to by NICU or PICU transport teams based on several factors including:
Calling in a Second High Risk Team
There are times when the demand for SANTS team members will be greater than the current staffing (multiple calls, acuity of referrals, etc), and additional staff must be called in. Please refer to the Calling in a Second High Risk Transport Teamresource document.
SANTS provides service to the Central, Calgary and South Zones of Alberta Health Services.
To see transport times, and delivery/NICU status (Level 0/1/2/3) of specific sites, please refer to the Chart of Call
This section includes resources to provide background information on what supplies, resources and personnel are available at a Level 0/1/2/3 referral site
Level 0 (Non-Delivering) Sites
To help guide the referral site in their preparation, equipment setup, and personnel, please refer to Level 0 Supplies and Setup Guide
Level 1 Sites
Level 2 Sites- Outside Calgary Zone
Level 2 Sites- Calgary Zone
The mode of transportation is determined by the patient's condition, the distance to the referral site, and available resources. Each call is triaged by RAAPID and the SANTS team to determine the most appropriate transport vehicle. SANTS has three modes of transportation:
Ground Ambulance
After mobilization, EMS crews are dispatched to assist SANTS in reaching both local and rural sites. EMS also transports our team and equipment between the hospital and airport when travelling by fixed wing. This is the most common mode of transport for SANTS missions, and EMS plays a key role in virtually all of our trips.
Fixed Wing Air Ambulance
Fixed wing is the mode of choice when the team has to travel a greater distance, and there is an airport near the referring center. Fixed wing transport results in shorter out-of-hospital times for the patient, but may have similar arrival times compared to ground transport as the team has to travel between the hospital(s) and airport(s). Flights are arranged by phone through the Central Communication Centre (CCC) 116-9187-91-780-407-4043.
STARS Air Ambulance
In emergent circumstances, STARS may be the fastest way to get to a baby in need of lifesaving care, no matter the referral site. STARS aircrafts can only transport the team and its mobile equipment- not the isolette or the patient. In this case, an ambulance must still be dispatched to transport the isolette to the referral site, and then transport the team and patient to the receiving site. Of note, STARS aircrafts must be reconfigured for SANTS transports, so there is a "download" time required prior to picking up the team.
These modules and websites have been created just for the SANTS team
All Courses
Welcome to the SCAN course. the goal of this course is to prepare participants for the hands on image acquisition and standardize point of care ultrasonography training for pediatric and Neonatal-perinatal residents.
All Courses