Incidence and risk factors correlated with otitis media with effusion in pediatric patients with obstructive sleep apnea: a retrospective nationwide inpatient sample database study.

Objective: To examine incidence and risk factors of Otitis Media with Effusion (OME) in pediatric patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) using a large-scale national database.

Materials and methods: A retrospective database analysis was conducted utilizing the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) dataset spanning from 2010 to 2019. Patients diagnosed with OSA were included in the study. Patient demographics, hospital characteristics, length of stay (LOS), total hospital charges, in-hospital mortality, pre-operative comorbidities, and perioperative complications were evaluated. Multivariate logistic regression was employed to identify independent risk factors associated with OME in the OSA patient population.

Results: The overall incidence of OME among pediatric OSA patients was 1.8%, demonstrating fluctuations annually. Patients with OME tended to be younger, predominantly male, with fewer comorbidities, shorter LOS, and lower total charges. Independent risk factors for OME included younger age (1-2 years), male sex, Native American ethnicity, pre-operative comorbidities of drug abuse and obesity, and pre-operative diagnoses of Down syndrome, Hypertrophy of tonsils alone, Hypertrophy of adenoids alone, and Hypertrophy of tonsils with adenoid complications.

Conclusion: Investigating risk factors associated with OME in children with OSA is essential for implementing preventive measures and optimizing patient outcomes.