• José Colleti, Rafael Teixeira Azevedo, Felipe Rezende de Oliveira Caino, and Orlei Ribeiro de Araujo.
• Department of Pediatrics, Hospital Assunção Rede D'Or São Luiz, S.B. do Campo, São Paulo, Brazil.
• Pediatr Crit Care Me. 2021 Nov 1; 22 (11): e588e593e588-e593.

ObjectivesTo review existing definitions of prolonged mechanical ventilation in children.DesignReview of the literature.SettingNot applicable.PatientsPediatric patients under mechanical ventilation.InterventionsNot applicable.Measurements And Main ResultsWe searched the literature for original research on prolonged mechanical ventilation in children using the PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines were followed, and we extracted patient characteristics, duration of mechanical ventilation, outcomes, and associated complications. We identified 30 articles for qualitative analysis and found a wide variety of definitions, varying from 48 hours to 6 months. The most frequently used definitions of prolonged mechanical ventilation were greater than 7 days, greater than 14 days, and greater than 21 days. There was no high-quality evidence of a definition for prolonged mechanical ventilation in children.ConclusionsThere is limited evidence to determine the definition of prolonged mechanical ventilation in children. The variety of definitions is a sign of the need for a consensus definition of pediatric prolonged mechanical ventilation.Copyright © 2021 by the Society of Critical Care Medicine and the World Federation of Pediatric Intensive and Critical Care Societies.

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