MGH’s Provincial Prolonged-Ventilation Weaning Centre for Excellence is mandated by the Ministry of Health and is part of a greater provincial strategy which aims to effectively reduce pressure on ICUs and ensure resources in the community that provide people who require long-term ventilation with more opportunities to receive the right care, in the right place, at the right time.
To learn more about this strategy, please visit the main program page.
Our program is designed to provide care to medically stable patients who require prolonged effort to wean from mechanical ventilation. Patients will be admitted for a maximum length of stay of three months. The following resources will help healthcare providers navigate the referral and admission process.
Any member of the care team can fill out and email or fax the referral form.
Admission Criteria
- Adult ICU patients who remain on a mechanical ventilator for more than 14 days and have a tracheostomy in place
- Patients who can participate in and direct their own care.
- Patients who are in stable condition, apart from mechanical ventilation
- Advanced care plan and/or goals of care discussions documented
- Patients who have a feeding support in place
- Patients who do not require kidney replacement treatment PWC is awaiting approval to provide this service
- Patients who do not have a clearly irreversible disease such as such as metastatic cancer or advanced dementia
For patients who do not immediately meet the admission criteria, referral can result in an Ontario Telemedicine Network (OTN) teleconsultation between the PWC care team and the referring ICU team.
Admission Process
- Care teams in referring ICUs will identify patients who have been ventilated for longer than 14 days and who meet the MGH PWC admission criteria
- The referring ICU care team completes and submits PWC RM&R (NEW)
- If RM&R is not available, ICU care team completes the PWC application form and emails it to @email or faxes it to 416-619-6612
- The MGH PWC team will acknowledge the receipt of the application within 48 hours
- If a bed is currently available and the patient appears to be a potential candidate, the referring facility will be notified of a decision. Additional information may be requested prior to the final decision being made.
- If a bed is not available and the patient appears to be a potential candidate, the patient's application will be placed on our wait list. The sending facility should provide bi-monthly updates.
- If the patient does not meet admission criteria for admission to PWC, OTN Teleconsultation can be arranged.
Programs of expertise in Prolonged & Long-Term Ventilation in Ontario
- Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Clinic - Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
- Canadian Alternatives in Noninvasive Ventilation (CANVent) Ottawa
- London Health Sciences Centre
- Westpark Healthcare Centre