Pediatrics High-Tech Transport System Enhances Care for Critically Sick Infants STORY HIGHLIGHTS The new isolette is the first in the nation that can go between an ambulance and a helicopter or airplane without any modification. The isolette has a heated transparent enclosure as well as a base containing emergency medical equipment, including a ventilator and a monitor. WWW.UCLAHEALTH.ORG A new transport system for newborns codesigned by UCLA’s Pediatric Transport Team is the first isolette in the country that allows critically ill infants to be safely moved from an ambulance to a helicopter or fixed-wing aircraft without modification. Combined with the UCLA team’s recent partnership with REACH Air Medical Services, the innovative device extends the reach of UCLA’s expertise in life-saving neonatal intensive care. Measuring six feet long and two feet high, the isolette includes a heated transparent enclosure 1-800-UCLA-888 (1-800-825-2888) that affords the medical team access to the infant on two sides, as well as a base containing emergency medical equipment, such as a ventilator and a monitor. “This system allows us to provide full monitoring and medical care for newborns who urgently need surgery or other care where time is of the essence,” says Robert Kelly, MD, the Pediatric Transport Team’s associate medical director. “It’s essentially a mobile NICU.” Each month, approximately 12 to 15 newborns are referred to Mattel Children’s Hospital UCLA from regional hospitals in areas such as Bakersfield,