Positive airway pressure for the treatment of the childhood obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.

Abstract

In this review, we have summarized the benefits of treatment with positive airway pressure for the childhood obstructive sleep apnea syndrome and presented a socio-ecological framework to enhance our understanding of positive airway pressure adherence predictors and important targets of comprehensive positive airway pressure treatment models across different pediatric populations. Although positive airway pressure is clearly a beneficial treatment for pediatric obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, additional research is needed to evaluate how socio-ecological factors may interact to predict positive airway pressure adherence, with more attention to the impact of the broader healthcare setting and on treatment approaches and outcomes in special pediatric populations.