Oxygen Therapy for Prolonged and Long-Term Mechanical Ventilation in Children

In children with prolonged and long-term mechanical ventilation (PMV), supplemental oxygen is a frequent additional therapy. Supplemental oxygen can be used to increase inspired fraction of oxygen during mechanical ventilation but also as simple therapy between periods of ventilation. Most clinical conditions in children differ from those in adults, and there is no specific recommendation for the use of oxygen in children with PMV. However, some guidelines and expert opinions are available for home oxygen therapy in infants and children, and these may be used, in part, for children with PMV [1–3].