BackgroundProlonged mechanical ventilation (PMV) has become an enormous challenge in intensive care units (ICUs) around the world. Patients treated with PMV are generally in poor health. These patients represent a select cohort with significant morbidity, mortality, and resource utilization. The status of children who have undergone PMV in China is unknown. Our goal is to investigate the prevalence and characteristics of pediatric patients with PMV, as well as the risk factors of PMV in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU).MethodsThe subjects were divided into two groups. The PMV group(MV ≥ 14 days) and the non-PMV group(2 days < MV