Always have on hand a travel bag for all trips outside the home. This bag should contain, at least:
ventilatory assistance device with:
the power cable for electrical wall outlet
a fully charged built-in battery (if present)
cable with a 12 volt car adapter, if necessary
an external spare battery with the appropriate cables, if present and if necessary
two circuits for the ventilatory assistance device (one extra in reserve)
two interfaces (including a spare)
ventilatory bag for manual ventilation with the appropriate face mask
demineralized water for the humidifier, if needed
a second ventilatory assistance device as a back-up, if necessary.
Always have an up-to-date list of the contents of the travel bag to reduce the risk of missing items. Confirm with your healthcare team how often you should verify supply and status of equipment and materials, including expiry date for demineralized water.
Keep a resource list close at hand with the names and telephone numbers of hospital, doctors, other members of your child’s healthcare team and equipment providers. Make sure you know how to contact these resources outside of regular hours and during vacations.
During the winter months, always heat up the car interior before placing your child in the vehicle.
Before leaving on a trip:
contact your healthcare team to plan travel with ventilatory assistance devices;
ensure with your insurance provider that travel outside of your home region is covered;
verify that the electrical voltage required for the ventilatory assistance device is available at your destination;
make sure you have a document from the healthcare team describing your child’s condition and your child’s needs regarding ventilatory assistance (ventilator parameters) and a complete list of medications;
have on hand a recent height and weight for your child and the specific sizes of all equipment;
bring enough supplies to last for the duration of the trip and add a bit extra as a reserve;
make sure to ask if equipment providers and other resources are available at your destination in the event of equipment failure or other healthcare needs;
take the climate of your destination into consideration because the relative humidity of the ambient air could modify the level of humidity necessary to adequately hydrate your child’s airway passages.
During your travels:
ensure that the battery of the ventilatory assistance device is fully charged;
remove the heated humidifier if the ventilatory assistance device is used while the child is mobile; if your child has a tracheostomy, replace the heated humidifier by an artificial nose during transportation;
always empty the water chamber of the heated humidifier before packing it in the storage bag.
For travel by airplane:
contact the airline company to inquire about their policy concerning the transport of medical equipment;
keep all medical equipment and supplies, medications and documents with you in the cabin.
If your child has a tracheostomy, refer to the appropriate section to complete the information.
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