Pediatric Critical Care: a New Millennium the Technology-dependent Child

Advances in technology allow survival to hospital discharge of patients who in the past would have died or been institutionalized indefinitely. The end result of technologic adaptations to the care of infants and children is an expanding population of technology-dependent pediatric patients. In turn, the primary care and coordination of subspecialty intervention for these children is largely the responsibility of the general pediatrician--efforts that invariably consume a disproportionate share of physician and staff time. Thus, working knowledge of issues pertaining to the care of technology-dependent children are important for all pediatric practitioners.