#Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) in Children
OSA exists in 2 to 5 percent of children and can occur at any age.
-Parents c/o of 2yo kid snoring and stopping breathing while sleeping. Parents are scared that she might not catch her breathe and die. On PE, his tonsils are not kissing each other and are rather normal. The patient is otherwise healthy and developing normally.
-Videotape kid sleeping on a phone camera and RTC in 3 days with video. If concerning episodes, will order sleep study at next visit.
-Sleep Study to Confirm diagnosis. OSA = apnea-hypopnea index [AHI] >1 on sleep study
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Treatment for OSA
- Tobacco smoke, other indoor pollutants, and indoor allergens should be avoided by all children with OSA.
- Weight loss for obese children.
- Adenotonsillectomy for healthy kids with who have OSA and adenotonsillar hypertrophy.
- CPAP or BIPAP for children in whom tonsillectomy is either contraindicated (e.g. those with no significantly enlarged tonsils) or who weren’t treated by tonsillectomy or redeveloped OSA after tonsillectomy.
- Consider night-time oxygen in hypoxemic kids.