Clinical profile of children with suspected sleep-disordered breathing and their polysomnographic findings at a tertiary-care center in Bengaluru, India

Background and Objective: Obtaining sleep studies in children with suspected sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) can affect management decisions, and they should be discussed with families with a focus on patient-centered decision-making. Our objective was to report the findings of polysomnography (PSG) in children with suspected SDB along with their clinical profile. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study was conducted in a tertiary care teaching hospital in South India over a 4-year period. Children of <18 years of age were included. Details about each patient including demographics, date of the study, indications, and treatment history were obtained. Results: A total of 133 pediatric sleep studies were analyzed. The male-to-female ratio was 1.86:1. The median age of the study group was done was 6.2 years (range: 2 months–17.2 years). Majority of the children were ≥10 years of age. Neuromuscular disease (NMD) was the most common reason for referral for a PSG, the most common NMD being spinal muscular atrophy followed by Duchenne muscular dystrophy. PSG study was normal in 5 children and severe obstructive sleep apnea was found in 55 children. Of 92 children with moderate-to-severe SDB patterns, 88 children were started on spontaneous-timed mode bilevel positive airway pressure. Two children were on invasive ventilation through tracheostomy tube, and one child was on supplementary oxygen. Conclusions: Children with SDB especially when diagnosed with a NMD should be referred to specialized centers for sleep studies so as to help guide and optimize patient management leading to increased patient satisfaction and quality of life.