Home Pediatric Critical Care Intervention to Reduce Hospitalization

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Advanced Medical Electronics Corporation (AME) proposes to develop a tool for pulmonologists and respiratory therapists specifically designed for the care of home ventilator-dependent pediatric patients. Technology-dependent, chronically ill children represent a broad population of patients that are more frequently affected by acute, life-threatening illness than the general population. Following a critical illness, children require specialized care to facilitate recovery and rehabilitation that does not impede social and psychological development. Early intervention may mitigate against the development of more severe illness that would likely require inpatient hospital care in a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). However, intervention strategies have been confounded by the need for frequent assessment via physical exam in a relatively immobile patient population. At present, even evaluation frequently requires admission to a PICU or at a minimum, evaluation in an outpatient setting wherein patients are exposed to a wide array of infectious pathogens. Given the special monitoring equipment and the technology required to support these children, caregivers are appropriately concerned about traveling to a clinic for an assessment. The availability of technology that enables effective, timely, and reliable information transfer between the homecare providers and the attending pulmonologists and respiratory therapists is likely to decrease the need for transport and hospitalization, and provide a dramatically increased level of comfort for care providers in the home and ultimately the children. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Technology-dependent, chronically ill children are more frequently affected by acute, life-threatening illness than the general population and will benefit from tools that minimize the likelihood of required transportation events. Early intervention may mitigate against the development of more severe illness that would likely require inpatient hospital care in a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU).