Evacuation of a neonatal intensive care and intermediate care unit

Background The evacuation of an intensive care unit, or even an entire hospital, is a rare event. Nevertheless, due to multiple challenging logistical efforts, intensive preliminary planning for such a scenario is obligatory since, in the event of an occurrence, it presents a high potential risk for the patients. Evacuation of a neonatal intensive unit is particularly vulnerable to risks and, due to the lack of alternatives, much more difficult to manage. Action In the late evening of 19 September 2014, serious water damage on the third floor of the obstetrics department of the University Hospital of Cologne took place. The most severely affected ward was the neonatal intensive care unit with 10 beds, together with the immediate care unit (premature ward) with 16 beds, both located directly below. The whole area was so severely affected by the flow of water that the entire area had to be evacuated. Fortunately, all 26 patients were able to be moved within the campus of the university hospital. Of these, 6 children were moved to the infant station located in the same building on the 6th floor. The remaining 20 patients had to be transferred to other buildings on the campus via underground passages, which are not normally used. All transfers of patients took place without incident. Conclusion Evacuation scenarios must be an essential part of a hospital emergency plan. In particular for high-risk areas, e.& x202f;g. intensive care stations, such a scenario should be planned in advance. In case of an emergency, it is important to have a predefined management structure.