Transfer to Great Ormond Street Hospital for portable ventilator set up

Information to parents and carers of babies who need long-term ventilation, who are waiting to be transferred to GOSH to have a portable ventilator set up. This leaflet gives you more information on the process of being transferred from your local hospital to GOSH.

Your baby’s medical team will explain why your baby needs a portable ventilator set up.

There can be many different reasons, including:

• A baby needs ventilation at or beyond 40 weeks corrected gestational age*.
• A baby needs further investigations to figure out lung or airway issues. They will have a portable ventilator to help them in the meantime.
• To provide a baby with long-term ventilation so they can receive respiratory support outside of hospital. This can help some babies to go home.

*Corrected gestational age: 

If a baby is born early (prematurely), we use corrected gestational age to work out how old a baby is based on their original due date.

Full‑term pregnancy is about 40 weeks, so a baby is described as at ‘40 weeks corrected gestational age’ when they have reached their due date.

Before a baby can be safely transitioned onto a portable ventilator, they usually need to weigh around 5kg.

This is because:

• The portable ventilator only works reliably when babies reach this size and have the required lung volume.
• The mask interfaces for this equipment don’t fit smaller babies. We can’t fit the portable ventilator before the equipment will properly fit.

Your baby must also be medically stable enough to be cared for on our ward.

We will monitor your baby’s progress closely with your local team to ensure that transfer happens at the safest and most appropriate time for your baby.

Until they reach this point, your local team will make sure your baby is on the type of respiratory support that best meets their needs. The local team will manage this in close collaboration with us at GOSH.

Please note – we have a limited number of beds available at GOSH. This means that you may not be transferred instantly when your baby reaches 5kg. We will transfer you as soon as is safe and possible.

We understand that this period can feel stressful and uncertain. Please remember:

• You will receive regular updates from your local medical team.
• GOSH is committed to supporting your baby’s safety, wellbeing, and long‑term care throughout this process.
• Our teams work together closely to make sure your baby is transferred at the right time and receives the specialist care they need.

If you have any questions, please speak with your local team, who can contact GOSH for further information.