Abstract
Home treatment for children with chronic respiratory failure (CRF) is increasing. However, the causes of CRF in children and the details of their home treatment are not well-known. The aim of this study was to describe the causes of CRF in the paediatric population and the treatments that the patients received at home. We surveyed all children (aged < or = 18 yrs) entering the Association Nationale pour le Traitement à Domicile de l'Insuffisance Respiratoire chronique (ANTADIR) for home treatment of CRF between March 1992 and March 1993. Two hundred and eighty seven children (178 boys, 62%) started home treatment for CRF during the year. One hundred and eleven patients had obstructive respiratory disease: cystic fibrosis (CF) (n = 24); bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) (n = 79); other obstructive respiratory disease (n = 8). One hundred and seventy six patients had restrictive lung disease: neuromuscular disease (n = 87); kyphoscoliosis (n = 21); pulmonary fibrosis (n = 6); cardiac disease (n = 14); stomatological disease (n = 10); other restrictive respiratory disease (n = 9); and 29 miscellaneous causes. One hundred and thirteen patients received oxygen therapy, with a mean daily use of 17.7 h (20 h.day-1 for BPD patients and 12.3 h.day-1 for CF patients). Oxygen was delivered by a concentrator in 88% of cases. One hundred and fifty eight children received mechanical ventilation (MV). Five children received nasal continuous positive airway pressure ventilation for sleep apnoea, four had pneumatic belt ventilation, and 12 had a tracheostomy without MV. Treatment was stopped in 21 children, because of death in nine and improvement in the other 12. Home treatment for children with CRF is well developed in France via the ANTADIR network. Causes of CRF in children are heterogeneous, with a relatively good prognosis.
Highlights
We surveyed all children entering the Association Nationale pour le Traitement à Domicile de l'Insuffisance Respiratoire chronique (ANTADIR) for home treatment of chronic respiratory failure (CRF) between March 1992 and March 1993
The two major home treatments for children suffering from chronic respiratory failure (CRF) are long-term oxygen therapy (LTOT) and mechanical ventilation (MV)
In the absence of universally accepted criteria for starting LTOT in children, treatment is recommended in one of the following situations: 1) a hypoxaemia 3 SD below the normal whilst breathing room air adjusted for age in a steady-state in an infant or young child [3]; 2) sleep desaturation periods with an arterial oxygen saturation
Summary
We surveyed all children (aged ≤18 yrs) entering the Association Nationale pour le Traitement à Domicile de l'Insuffisance Respiratoire chronique (ANTADIR) for home treatment of CRF between March 1992 and March 1993. The two major home treatments for children suffering from chronic respiratory failure (CRF) are long-term oxygen therapy (LTOT) and mechanical ventilation (MV). In the absence of universally accepted criteria for starting LTOT in children, treatment is recommended in one of the following situations: 1) a hypoxaemia 3 SD below the normal whilst breathing room air adjusted for age in a steady-state in an infant or young child [3]; 2) sleep desaturation periods with an arterial oxygen saturation
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