Characteristics and Frequency of Children With Severe Obstructive Sleep Apnea Undergoing Elective Polysomnography.

Objective: To determine the prevalence and demographics features of pediatric patients with severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) who would not undergo preoperative polysomnography (PSG) under current American Academy of Otolaryngology (AAO) guidelines.

Study Design: In this retrospective cohort study, we identified patients from the electronic medical record who underwent elective polysomnography for evaluation of sleep-disordered breathing between 2012 and 2018.

Setting: Urban tertiary safety net hospital.

Subjects And Methods: A total of 456 patients with a mean (SD) age of 5.7 (3.2) years (263 male, 193 female). Demographic factors (age, sex, race, language, insurance status) and clinical findings (symptom severity, tonsil size) were recorded. The data were analyzed by univariate analysis.

Results: Of 456 patients identified, 66 (14.5%) were found to have severe OSA. African American patients had 3.7 times the odds of severe OSA compared to white patients (95% CI, 1.2-10.8). Patients aged 2 to 3 years had 2.2 times the odds of severe OSA compared to patients aged 4 to 6 years (95% CI, 1.2-4.0). Sex, ethnicity, language, and insurance type were not significantly associated with severity of OSA. The presence of apneic episodes and tonsil size were not found to be statistically significant.

Conclusion: Up to 14.5% of healthy pediatric patients with sleep-disordered breathing may have severe OSA; young age and African American race are statistically significant predictors. Clinical findings, such as tonsil size and symptom severity, were not found to be statistically significant predictors.