Respiratory Care of Adults with Chronic Pulmonary Disease and Assisted Ventilation

Comprehensive chronic disease management has led to improved survival and quality of life for children diagnosed with previously fatal conditions such that now these patients are living well into adulthood. The care of patients with chronic respiratory failure (CRF) has followed suit with this changing landscape of chronic disease management. Previously, children with CRF would be confined to a hospital with personnel trained in respiratory care and ventilator management, with patients and their families choosing home only for palliative or hospice care. Today, patients are offered multiple options for the management of respiratory failure at home, albeit requiring significant education, family commitment, and medical community support. With a multidisciplinary approach to care and dedicated family and caregivers, home mechanical ventilation is a viable option that can improve both quality of life and survival among individuals with chronic respiratory failure.