Simplifying the Complex Kid

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The number of children with significant healthcare needs being cared for in home settings has been increasing since the 1982 U.S. Surgeon General’s Workshop on Children with Handicaps and Their Families. How would you treat a child complaining of difficulty breathing who is hooked to a respirator and other supportive machinery? What special treatment and transport decisions would need to be considered for such an individual? Children’s Hospital Critical Care Transport Program deals with these challenges regularly and will discuss strategies that local ambulances can use to assess, treat and safely transport these complex patients.