Ventilator assisted individuals (VAIs) within the province's ICUs represent a significant portion of the LTV continuum of care. Patients are designated Long-Term Ventilated (LTV) if they have been continuously mechanically ventilated for more than 21 consecutive days, for more than 6 hours each day. Many of these individuals remain in the ICU primarily because they require a ventilator, even though they are otherwise medically stable and may be ready to transition to an alternative care setting.

The PLTVS through its Hub & Spoke Model maintains active connections with almost 100 individual acute care sites across Ontario, and strives to reduce pressure on these ICUs by creating capacity for LTV patients to safely transition to LTV programs and the community. The ICU to LTV discharge checklist is useful tool to assist ICU teams in preparing for transitioning ventilator assisted individuals to LTV programs.