Dexmedetomidine for infant pulmonary function testing.

For the last thirty years, oral chloral hydrate has been used for sedation of infants for lung function testing. Recently, however, availability of chloral hydrate became severely limited in the United States after two manufacturers discontinued manufacturing in 2012. Due to these limitations and the recent and ongoing shortage of chloral hydrate, other medications have been proposed for lung function testing, including midazolam and propofol.

Ventilatory responses to hypercapnia during wakefulness and sleep in obese adolescents with and without obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.

Study Objectives: Abnormal ventilatory drive may contribute to the pathophysiology of the childhood obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). Concomitant with the obesity epidemic, more adolescents are developing OSAS. However, few studies have specifically evaluated the obese adolescent group.

Upper airway genioglossal activity in children with sickle cell disease.

Study Objectives: The prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) in sickle cell disease (SCD) has been reported to be higher than that in the general pediatric population. However, not all subjects with SCD develop OSAS. We hypothesized that SCD patients with OSAS have a blunted neuromuscular response to subatmospheric pressure loads during sleep, making them more likely to develop upper airway collapse.