Ventilation and Weaning Programs at MGH

Ventilation and Weaning team
  • If you are admitted to a hospital in Ontario and are on a life-support breathing machine (mechanical ventilator or non-invasive ventilator), we have a special program for you!
  • This page explains all of our VENTILATION AND WEANING PROGRAMS at Michael Garron Hospital for patients who use a ventilator or need help coming off one.
  • 👉 Use the referral forms on the right side of this page to apply to our programs. 

Our Inpatient Programs

 1. Long-Term Ventilation (LTV) Program:
  • This program is for patients who need a breathing machine (mechanical ventilator or non-invasive ventilator), all the time while living in the hospital.
  • It is part of the hospital’s Complex Continuing Care Service.
  • To learn more, visit:
  • 🔗 Michael Garron Hospital – Complex Continuing Care LTV Program and scroll down to the Long-Term Ventilation Program at MGH section.
2. Ventilator Weaning Programs:

Critical Care Long Stay Mechanical Ventilation Weaning Program (LSP)

  • This program is for Intensive Care Unit (ICU) patients who may be able to come off the mechanical ventilator breathing machine but still need close monitoring, frequent suctioning, or strong medications that increase blood pressure (vasopressors).

Provincial Prolonged Ventilation Weaning Centre of Excellence (PWC). 

Non-Invasive Ventilation program (NIVP).    

  • This program helps patients who need non-invasive ventilation (NIV) (commonly known as CPAP or BiPAP machines) to breathe, either during the day, night, or both.
    • Patients can come from regular hospital wards, step-down units, or Intensive Care Units (ICU) as long as they don’t need ICU-level care.  For example, these patients no longer need ICU-level nursing care, frequent suctioning or strong medications that increase blood pressure (vasopressors).
    • This program helps patients wean off of their non-invasive ventilator or helps them to go home safely with their non-invasive ventilator.
    • Examples include:
      • Patients recovering from lung failure
      • Patients with advanced COPD who use a night-time breathing machine
      • Patients with neuromuscular disease who use NIV
      • Patients with sleep apnea or other breathing problems who need help going home on NIV
    • To learn more, visit:
    • 🔗 Michael Garron Hospital – Provincial Prolonged Weaning Centre of Excellence and scroll down to the NIVP section.
How to Apply to Our Inpatient Programs

  • It’s easy to apply to our programs!
  • A doctor or nurse practitioner simply needs to complete the appropriate referral form:
    • Use the MGH Long-Term Ventilation Referral Form for patients who need to live in the hospital with a long-term life-support breathing machine (mechanical ventilator or non-invasive ventilator).
    • Use the MGH Ventilation Weaning Programs Referral Form for patients who may be able to come off the mechanical ventilator or non-invasive ventilator breathing machine or need help going home on the non-invasive ventilator breathing machine.
  • ✅ Once your referral is received, our team will review it and reply within 2 business days.
What Our Team Does

  • Our team will:
    • Decide which program is best for your patient
    • Help plan your patient’s transfer to our hospital
    • Assess your patient’s ability to wean off the ventilator
    • Help with long-term ventilation or non-invasive ventilation options
    • Work to improve your patient’s comfort and quality of life
Repatriation Agreements

  • Long-Term Ventilation (LTV) applications do not include a repatriation agreement.
  • All Weaning Program patients are subject to the Ontario Health directive regarding repatriation of patients when needed.
    This helps us make sure we can care for new patients if:
    • Your patient has come off the ventilator and is ready to return to their home hospital
    • Your patient is unable to wean off the ventilator despite a 3-month trial of dedicated weaning
    • Your patient has to wait for a long-term ventilation bed
    • Your patient develops a complication we cannot treat at MGH
Our Goals
Provincial Long-Term Ventilation Strategy logo

  • We work to:
    • Give every patient a chance to come off the ventilator
    • Support patients who cannot come off the ventilator to make informed choices about long-term ventilation or end-of-life comfort care
    • Move stable ventilated patients from the ICU to a more suitable care area
    • Keep ICU beds available for patients who need urgent care
    • Share ventilation expertise and resources across Ontario so patients can receive care closer to home 

Helpful Links for Healthcare Providers
Additional Ventilation and Weaning websites

  • Visit Ontario’s Long-Term Ventilation (LTV) strategy website for additional details.

https://ontariolongtermventilation.com/files/Site_Tours/MG/MG/index.htm…

  • Visit Michael Garron Hospital’s Long-Stay Critical Care Program for additional details:

https://www.tehn.ca/programs-services/medicine/critical-care/long-stay-critical-care-program

  • Visit Michael Garron Hospital’s Provincial Prolonged Weaning Centre of Excellence Program for additional details:

https://www.tehn.ca/programs-services/medicine/provincial-prolonged-ven…

Learning Modules and Patient Resources

 

Staff
Director ventilation and weaning programs Dr. Marcus J. Kargel
Critical Care Long Stay Program Director: Dr. Stone
  Clinical Utilization Coordinator: Melanie Liavas
Progressive Weaning Centre Director of PWC, NIVP: Dr. Marcus Kargel
  PWC Nurse Practitioner: Molly Magee
Long-Term Ventilation Program Manager: Karen Kerry
  Physicians: Dr. Peter Jugovic, Dr. Kevin Workentin
Contact
Phone
416-671-5716
Fax
416-469-6377
Prolonged.ventilation@tehn.ca
Referral forms