An estimated 8,000 children
in the United States are
dependent on mechanical
ventilation at home. Despite
technological advances for
home monitoring of ventilated
patients, the preventable
death rate among these
children has not changed
significantly during the last
2 decades. Analysis of the data
indicate that the primary
causes of preventable death
in ventilator-dependent children
at home are inadequate
training, improper response,
and a lack of vigilance by
the clinicians who care for
them.