Abstract

Abstract Introduction Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is common in children with trisomy 21. The pathophysiology can be multifactorial and challenging to manage. Auto-titrating continuous positive airway pressure (autoCPAP) is an emerging tool for the treatment of pediatric OSA and few studies discuss adherence. This study compares autoCPAP adherence in children with and without trisomy 21 at our center. We hypothesized that autoCPAP adherence would not differ between the two groups. Methods A retrospective review of patients aged 0 to 18 years with a diagnosis of OSA as defined by the International Classification of Sleep Disorders Third Edition, and empirically prescribed autoCPAP between 2012 and 2020 was conducted. Patients without available polysomnography or adherence data were excluded. Data included patient demographics, baseline polysomnography characteristics, and autoCPAP usage. Adherence was defined as usage ≥ 4 hours/night on 70% of nights during a consecutive 30-day period as per the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services criteria. Descriptive statistics and non-parametric tests were utilized for analysis. Results There were 130 total patients included with a mean age of 12.5 years ± a standard deviation of 4.1 years. Seventeen children (13%) had trisomy 21. No statistically significant differences were observed between the trisomy 21 group (T21) and the non-trisomy 21 group (non-T21) with respect to the obstructive apnea hypopnea index (9.5 ± 11.2 in T21, 14.7 ± 22.3 in non-T21, p=0.61), or the oxygen saturation nadir (87.8% ± 4.2% in T21, 84.4% ± 10.8% in non-T21, p=0.57). The percentage of days used ≥ 4 hours in a 30-day period did not significantly differ (52.3% ± 42% in T21, and 49.5% ± 37.5% in non-T21, p=0.64). While 41% of T21 subsequently underwent a CPAP titration for a suboptimal response to autoCPAP (for reasons including intolerance, persistent snoring, or daytime sleepiness), this did not differ significantly from 23% in non-T21 (p=0.11). Conclusion Although limited by a small sample size, our data suggest that adherence to autoCPAP did not differ between the trisomy 21 and non-trisomy 21 groups of children with OSA. Empiric autoCPAP is a reasonable treatment option for children with OSA who are not surgical candidates, including those with trisomy 21. Support (if any):

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