Impact of Emergency Department-to-ICU Transfer Times on Mortality Across Critical Care Diagnoses: Insights from a Dutch Cohort Study

MedXY Editorial Team•Jun 26, 2026•Critical Care

The association between ED-to-ICU transfer time and hospital mortality varies significantly across ICU admission diagnoses and hospital types.
In out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients, prolonged ED-to-ICU transfer time correlates with increased mortality in academic hospitals but a paradoxical reduction in mortality in nonacademic teaching hospitals.
No significant mortality association was found between transfer time and other diagnoses such as overdose, sepsis, pneumonia, respiratory failure, or intracranial hemorrhage.
Findings underline the need for prospective studies focusing on diagnosis-specific pathways and hospital processes to optimize ED-to-ICU transfer times.

MedXY registered readers

Sign in free to continue reading

Create or use your MedXY account to unlock the complete article.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.

The association between ED-to-ICU transfer time and hospital mortality varies significantly across ICU admission diagnoses and hospital types.
In out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients, prolonged ED-to-ICU transfer time correlates with increased mortality in academic hospitals but a paradoxical reduction in mortality in nonacademic teaching hospitals.
No significant mortality association was found between transfer time and other diagnoses such as overdose, sepsis, pneumonia, respiratory failure, or intracranial hemorrhage.
Findings underline the need for prospective studies focusing on diagnosis-specific pathways and hospital processes to optimize ED-to-ICU transfer times.