ISO 10651-6:2004 specifies the basic safety and essential performance requirements for home-care ventilatory support devices, intended mainly for use in home care but which could be used elsewhere (e.g. in hospitals) for appropriate patients for whom the use of a home-care ventilator complying with ISO 10651-2 is not required. It is intended to be used in conjunction with the General Standard IEC 60601-1:1988.

The requirements of ISO 10651-6:2004 which replace or modify the requirements of IEC 60601-1:1988 and its Amendments 1 (1991) and 2 (1995) are intended to take precedence over the corresponding general requirements.