Participants
NIV programs at the two participating hospitals were reviewed to
identify the subjects. The inclusion criteria were children 0-18 years
of age who have used NIV for a minimum of three months outside of an
acute-care setting. We define NIV as any method of breathing support
that provides positive airway pressure through an interface outside of
the airway, including CPAP, and BPAP. As the goal included capturing
information on long-term outcomes, patients who were recommended NIV but
were not able to initiate it were excluded. No restrictions in terms of
underlying conditions were applied to the inclusion criteria.