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BACKGROUND: Rett syndrome is a progressive neurological disorder associated to several comorbidities that contribute significantly to impair lung function. Respiratory morbidity represents a major cause of death in this population. Little is known about the benefit of noninvasive ventilation. METHODS: We retrospectively enrolled patients with Rett syndrome who underwent a pneumological evaluation combined with a cardiorespiratory polygraphy and/or a pulse oximetry and capnography from 2012 to 2022. RESULTS: Medical records of 11 patients with Rett syndrome, mean age 13 ± 6 years, were evaluated. Most patients presented with both epilepsy and scoliosis. Five patients showed a pathologic sleep study and/or impaired night gas exchange: mean obstructive apnea-hypopnea index was 4 ± 3 events/hour; mean and minimal SpO2 were, respectively, 93% ± 2% and 83% ± 6%, while mean and maximal transcutaneous carbon dioxide monitoring (PtcCO2) were, respectively, 51 ± 5 mm Hg and 55 ± 8 mm Hg; and mean oxygen desaturation index was 13 ± 11 events/hour. These patients started noninvasive ventilation with clinical benefit and improved gas exchange mostly in terms of PtcCO2 (mean PtcCO2 51 ± 5 mm Hg before and 46 ± 6 mm Hg after noninvasive ventilation). CONCLUSIONS: Noninvasive ventilation is a suitable option for patients with Rett syndrome.

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Long-term noninvasive ventilation modalities for the pediatric population have undergone a continuous evolution. Hybrid noninvasive ventilation modalities have been recently introduced in clinical practice. Combining the advantages of conventional ventilation, hybrid modes use algorithms that automatically adjust the ventilator's settings to achieve a predefined ventilation target. Most of the recommendations on the use and settings of hybrid noninvasive ventilation modalities in children are derived from adult experience. Therefore, there is a lack of evidence on its implementation in pediatric chronic respiratory diseases. This scoping review aims to map the existing information regarding the use of hybrid ventilation modalities in the pediatric population and identify knowledge or research gaps. We performed a literature search using MEDLINE and Pubmed following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews. We included 13 studies (ten studies on average volume-assured pressure-support ventilation; two studies on intelligent volume-assured pressure-support ventilation; and one study on adaptive servoventilation). The use of new noninvasive ventilation modes in the pediatric population has been applied for the treatment of neuromuscular and hypoventilation syndromes as an alternative therapeutic option in the case of the failure of conventional noninvasive ventilation. Their widespread use has been hampered by the limited evidence available. Longitudinal studies on a larger number of patients are needed to confirm their effectiveness and evaluate their long-term clinical and functional outcomes.

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BACKGROUND: Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a severe neuromuscular disorder, the phenotype of the disease is caused by the mutation of the SMN1 (survival motor neuron 1) gene which encodes for the SMN protein. Innovative treatments for SMA have become available and the first molecule approved is Nusinersen, an antisense oligonucleotide that increases the production of SMN protein. Nusinersen has been shown to be associated with a significant motor improvement and an increase of the event-free survival. For these reasons the aim of the present study is to assess if Nusinersen is able modify sleep architecture and microstructure and to improve sleep structure in these patients. METHODS: Sixteen patients affected by SMA1 were enrolled in the study (4 boys, 12 girls; median age 72.5 months, intelligence quotient range 24-84). All patients underwent complete nocturnal PSG before the start of the treatment trough intrathecal injections with Nusinersen (T0) and after the fifth infusion (day 180, T180). PSG recordings were visually scored and interpreted according to the indications of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) and and microstructure by means of the Cyclic Alternating Pattern (CAP). RESULTS: After 6 months therapy we found a significantly reduced sleep latency and a significantly increased sleep efficiency. Regarding sleep microstructure parameters (CAP), we did not find any significant change after therapy however, it is worth mentioning that a moderate effect size was observed for the increase in CAP A3 index. CONCLUSIONS: We observed short-term effects of Nusinersen on sleep with an improvement in sleep efficiency and reduction in sleep onset latency; regarding sleep microstructure, a moderate effect size was found for the number of CAP A3 subtypes that slightly increased, possibly indicating a slightly higher arousability. This finding points at a probably overall better sleep pattern organization associated with the treatment, but they need to be confirmed by larger studies with patients treated earlier in life and for a longer period.

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Pediatric palliative care (PPC) is an active and total approach to the care of children with life-limiting conditions and their families. PPC programs provide ongoing treatment for children with medical complexity (CMC), many of whom will reach adulthood. Aim of the study was to describe a population of CMC attendingin six preselected months the Respiratory Intermediate Care Unit of a tertiary referral hospital for southern and central Italy. We enrolled all CMC patients admitted to our unit in six preselected months and registered pathologies and different categories of childhood diseases, devices and needs, hospitalization and home care plan. Among the 275 children admitted to our unit, 130 CMC were included. Median age was 9.9 (0.1-40.0) years. The main pathologies recorded were neuromuscular, neurological, respiratory, metabolic and malformative diseases, genetic syndromes and outcomes of prematurity. Comorbidity due to respiratory, digestive, neurological, cardiac and urological involvement was present in a high percentage of cases. Among our patients, only 46 were not carriers of any medical device. The average length of hospitalization was 7.0 (1.0-270.0) days with 2 (1.0-7.0) admissions per year per patient. Home care activation was not required for 47 out of 130 patients. Children eligible for PPC are increasing and their survival results in a rise of comorbidities and special needs demanding multilevel interventions. Respiratory symptoms are the most recurrent ones observed, thus requiring an expert in PPC with expertise in the respiratory field. Sharing data and knowledge of CMC needs may help improve care coordination.

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Acute hospitalisation may be required to support patients with Neuromuscular disorders (NMDs) mainly experiencing respiratory complications, swallowing difficulties, heart failure, urgent surgical procedures. As NMDs may need specific treatments, they should be ideally managed in specialized hospitals. Nevertheless, if urgent treatment is required, patients with NMD should be managed at the closest hospital site, which may not be a specialized centre where local emergency physicians have the adequate experience to manage these patients. Although NMDs are a group of conditions that can differ in terms of disease onset, progression, severity and involvement of other systems, many recommendations are transversal and apply to the most frequent NMDs. Emergency Cards (EC), which report the most common recommendations on respiratory and cardiac issues and provide indications for drugs/treatments to be used with caution, are actively used in some countries by patients with NMDs. In Italy, there is no consensus on the use of any EC, and a minority of patients adopt it regularly in case of emergency. In April 2022, 50 participants from different centres in Italy met in Milan, Italy, to agree on a minimum set of recommendations for urgent care management which can be extended to the vast majority of NMDs. The aim of the workshop was to agree on the most relevant information and recommendations regarding the main topics related to emergency care of patients with NMD in order to produce specific ECs for the 13 most frequent NMDs.

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Respiratory complications are common in the patient with muscular dystrophy. The periodic clinical and instrumental respiratory evaluation is extremely important. Despite the presence in the literature of updated guidelines, patient associations often report lack of knowledge of these pathologies, particularly in peripheral hospitals. The purpose of this work, inspired by the Italian Muscular Dystrophy Association (UILDM) is to improve management of respiratory problems necessary for the management of these patients complex. To this end, the main items that the specialist can meet in the follow-up of these pathologies have been analyzed and discussed, among which the respiratory basal evaluation, the criteria of adaptation to non-invasive ventilation, management of bronchial secretions, situations of respiratory emergency, indications for tracheostomy and the subject of advance directives of treatment (DAT).

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Children with medical complexity (CMC) are patients with one or more complex chronic conditions dependent on medical technologies. In our unit (Pediatric Pulmonology and Respiratory Intermediate Care Unit, Department of Pediatrics, "Bambino Gesù" Children's Hospital and Research Institute), we regularly follow-up CMC patients, particularly children on long-term, invasive (IMV) or noninvasive (NIV), ventilation. Children suffering from chronic diseases and with medical complexity have lost the possibility to go to the hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this article is to describe our experience with telemedicine (teleconsultation [TC] and telemonitoring of ventilator [TM]) in CMC on ventilation. We presented 21 children on long-term ventilation (NIV or IMV) whose planned hospital admission was postponed due to lockdown. A total of 12 healthcare problems were detected during scheduled TCs. Only one problem was not solved by our remote intervention. Specifically, TM has allowed us to change the ventilator parameters and to monitor patients on ventilation remotely. In conclusion, the use of telemedicine in CMC ventilated patients resulted in a feasible tool to avoid in-person visits during the pandemic.

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Non-invasive ventilation is increasingly used in children for acute and chronic respiratory failure. Ventilators available for clinical use have different levels of complexity, and clinicians need to know in detail their characteristics, setting variables, and performances. A wide range of ventilators are currently used in non-invasive ventilation including bi-level ventilators, intermediate ventilators, and critical care ventilators. Simple or advanced continuous positive airway pressure devices are also available. Differences between ventilators may have implications on the development of asynchronies and air leaks and may be associated with discomfort and poor patient tolerance. Although pressure-targeted (controlled) mode is preferable in children because of barotrauma concerns, volume-targeted (controlled) ventilators are also available. Pressure support ventilation represents the most used non-invasive ventilation mode, as it is more physiological. The newest ventilators allow the clinicians to use the hybrid modes that combine the advantages of volume- and pressure-targeted (controlled) ventilation while limiting their drawbacks. The use of in-built software may help clinicians to optimize the ventilator setting as well as to objectively monitor patient adherence to the treatment. The present review aims to help the clinician with the choice of the ventilator and its ventilation modalities to ensure a successful non-invasive ventilation program.

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Information gathered with built-in software (BIS) on new ventilators allow clinicians to access long-term noninvasive ventilation (LTNIV) data. Nevertheless, few evidence are available in literature that highlight potential strengths and disadvantages of using BIS in pediatrics. We aim to evaluate the use of BIS in a cohort of 90 children on LTNIV in our unit, focusing mainly on adherence, air leaks, and residual sleep events. We found that caregivers' perception of ventilator use is independent from objective adherence (P = .137). Furthermore, we failed to find any predictors of adherence. As regards air leaks, we found that pre-scholars' (0-6 years old) total air leaks are lower than teenagers' (more than 12 years old) (P < .05). Multiple regressive analysis showed that age at the beginning of therapy is a predictor of total air leaks: prescholars are associated with lower values (P < .05), while scholars (6-12 years old) are associated with higher values (P < .05). Finally, we explored the validity of BIS automatic scoring of sleep events (AHIBIS ) as compared with the manual scoring of polygraphy (AHIPG ). AHIBIS is within a range of 3.98 from AHIPG in 95% of cases, with a 64% of sensitivity and a 67% of specificity in identifying a pathological state. The disagreement between the two methods seems to increase for high AHI values. In conclusion, data gathered by BIS are a useful support tool for the clinician in assessing the course of LTNIV. However, clinicians must be aware of the several limitations of built-in software, especially in pediatrics.

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AIM: To identify subgroups regarding paediatricians' awareness, attitude, practice and satisfaction about management of Sleep-Disordered Breathing (SDB) in Italy using Latent Class Analysis (LCA). METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on a large sample of Italian paediatricians. Using a self-administered questionnaire, the study collected information on 420 Paediatric Hospital Paediatricians (PHPs) and 594 Family Care Paediatricians (FCPs). LCA was used to discover underlying response patterns, thus allowing identification of respondent groups with similar awareness, attitude, practice and satisfaction. A logistic regression model was used to investigate which independent variables influenced latent class membership. Analyses were performed using R 3.5.2 software. A p-value<0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Two classes were identified: Class 1 (n = 368, 36.29%) "Untrained and poorly satisfied" and Class 2 (n = 646, 63.71%) "Trained and satisfied." Involving paediatric pneumologists or otorhinolaryngologists in clinical practice was associated with an increased probability of Class 2 membership (OR = 5.88, 95%CI [2.94-13.19]; OR = 15.95, 95% CI [10.92-23.81] respectively). Examining more than 20 children with SDB during the last month decreased the probability of Class 2 membership (OR = 0.29, 95% CI [0.14-0.61]). FCPs showed a higher probability of Class 2 membership than PHPs (OR = 4.64, 95% CI [3.31-6.55]). CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that the LCA approach can provide important information on how education and training could be tailored for different subgroups of paediatricians. In Italy standardized educational interventions improving paediatricians' screening of SDB are needed in order to guarantee efficient management of children with SDB and reduce the burden of disease.

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BACKGROUND: Children with chronic respiratory failure and/or sleep disordered breathing due to a broad range of diseases may require long-term ventilation to be managed at home. Advances in the use of long-term non-invasive ventilation has progressively leaded to a reduction of the need for invasive mechanical ventilation through tracheostomy. In this study, we sought to characterize a cohort of children using long-term NIV and IMV and to perform an analysis of those children who showed significant changes in ventilatory support management. METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort study of pediatric (within 18 years old) patients using long-term, NIV and IMV, hospitalized in our center between January 1, 2000 and December 31, 2017. A total of 432 children were included in the study. Long Term Ventilation (LTV) was defined as IMV or NIV, performed on a daily basis, at least 6 h/day, for a period of at least 3 months. RESULTS: 315 (72.9%) received non-invasive ventilation (NIV); 117 (27.1%) received invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV). Children suffered mainly from neuromuscular (30.6%), upper airway (24.8%) and central nervous system diseases (22.7%). Children on IMV were significantly younger when they start LTV [NIV: 6.4 (1.2-12.8) years vs IMV 2.1 (0.8-7.8) years] (p < 0.001)]. IMV was likely associated with younger age at starting ventilatory support (aOR 0.9428; p = 0.0220), and being a child with home health care (aOR 11.4; p < 0.0001). Overtime 39 children improved (9%), 11 children on NIV (3.5%) received tracheostomy; 62 children died (14.3%); and 74 children (17.1%) were lost to follow-up (17.8% on NIV, 15.4% on IMV). CONCLUSIONS: Children on LTV suffered mainly from neuromuscular, upper airways, and central nervous system diseases. Children invasively ventilated usually started support younger and were more severely ills.

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BACKGROUND: Long-term mechanical ventilation (LTV) with non-invasive ventilation (NIV) prolongs survival in patients with Neuromuscular Diseases (NMDs). Transition from paediatric to adult healthcare system is an undervalued and challenging issue for children with chronic conditions on mechanical ventilation. METHODS: this retrospective study aims to compare issues of young adults in age to transition to adult care (≥ 15 years old) affected by NMDs on NIV in two different Paediatric Respiratory Units in two different countries: Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, Research Institute, (Rome, Italy) (BGCH) and the Paediatric Respiratory Unit of the Royal Brompton Hospital (London, UK) (RBHT). RESULTS: The median (min-max) age at starting ventilation was significantly different in the two groups (16 years old vs 12, p = 0.0006). We found significant difference in terms of median age at the time of observation (18 (15-22) vs 17 (15-19) years, p = 0.0294) and of type of referral (all the patients from the BGCH group were referred to paediatric services (n = 15, 100%), median age 18 (15-22); only 6 patients, in the RBHT group, with a median age 15.50 (15-17) years, were entirely referred to paediatric service). We found different sleep-disordered breathing assessments 6 full Polysomnographies, 7 Cardio-Respiratory Polygraphies and 2 oximetry with capnography (SpO2-tcCO2) studies in the BCGH group, while all patients of RBHT group were assessed with an SpO2-tcCO2 study. All patients from both groups underwent multidisciplinary assessment. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, patients with NMDs on NIV in age to transition to adult require complex multidisciplinary management: significant efforts are needed to achieve the proper transition to adult care.

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RATIONALE: Long-life ventilatory assistance is necessary for survival in pediatric patients with congenital central hypoventilation syndrome (CCHS). Invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) through tracheostomy is the most used method, especially in the first years of life when the central nervous system is maturing. Nevertheless, IMV via tracheostomy is not ideal because tracheostomy in children is associated with impaired speech and language development, also frequent infections of the lower airway tract occur. OBJECTIVE: Only few reports describe the transition from IMV to the noninvasive method, ending with decannulation in CCHS affected patients. We aim to provide our experience regarding decannulation program in CCHS affected children and to describe a proposal of an algorithm concerning transition from invasive to noninvasive ventilation (NIV) in CCHS patients. METHODS: The study has been conducted retrospectively. Four children from two European centers underwent tracheostomy removal and decannulation, upon request of patients and their families. RESULTS: All children were trained to carry out tracheostomy capping before decannulation and underwent endoscopic assessment of upper and lower airway. Subsequently they started training to NIV at mean age of 106.25 months (±40.7 SD). Decannulation occurred 12 months after and no patients needed the reintroduction of tracheal cannula in either short or long term follow up. CONCLUSIONS: our study shows that effective liberation from IMV, the transition to NIV and decannulation are possible in CCHS affected children and offers a proposal of an algorithm which can be applied in selected centers.

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OBJECTIVE: Changes of sleep architecture have been reported in children with Spinal Muscular Atrophy type 2 (SMA2), mainly represented by a decrease of arousability. No studies have evaluated the effect of long-term ventilation on sleep parameters in these children. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of long-term non-invasive positive pressure ventilation (LTNPPV) on sleep architecture and to assess the residual differences from normal controls. METHODS: Nine consecutive children with SMA2 underwent two distinct polysomnographic (PSG) studies, one in spontaneous breathing, and subsequently after LTNPPV. The results were then compared to 15 age-matched controls. RESULTS: SMA2 patients showed only slightly modified sleep architecture on LTNPPV: increased stage N2% and decreased number of awakenings, while several significant differences persisted between SMA2 patients on LTNPPV and controls (decreased total sleep time, number of awakenings, sleep efficiency, and percentage of REM sleep). Sleep microstructure, evaluated by means of the Cyclic alternating pattern (CAP) showed only marginal changes on LTNPPV (small shortening of CAP A1 subtype duration and small increase in CAP A3 index). Conversely, CAP parameters on LTNPPV showed significant differences between SMA2 patients vs. controls, with increased A1 subtype percentage and decreased percentage of A2 and A3 subtypes. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study in children affected by SMA2 reporting data on sleep microstructure and their changes after LTNPPV. We found persisting, small but important changes in sleep microstructure during LTNPPV in these children, suggesting that this treatment only partially improves their arousability.

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Childhood asthma remains a multifactorial disease with heterogeneous clinical phenotype and complex genetic inheritance. The primary aim of asthma management is to achieve control of symptoms, in order to reduce the risk of future exacerbations and progressive loss of lung function, which results especially challenging in patients with difficult asthma. When asthma does not respond to maintenance treatment, firstly, the correct diagnosis needs to be confirmed and other diagnosis, such as cystic fibrosis, primary ciliary dyskinesia, immunodeficiency conditions or airway and vascular malformations need to be excluded. If control remains poor after diagnostic confirmation, detailed assessments of the reasons for asthma being difficult-to-control are needed. Moreover, all possible risk factors or comorbidities (gastroesophageal reflux, rhinosinusitis, dysfunctional breathing and/or vocal cord dysfunction, obstructive sleep apnea and obesity) should be investigated. At the same time, the possible reasons for poor symptom control need to be find in all modifiable factors which need to be carefully assessed. Non-adherence to medication or inadequate inhalation technique, persistent environmental exposures and psychosocial factors are, currently, recognized as the more common modifiable factors. Based on these premises, investigation and management of asthma require specialist multidisciplinary expertise and a systematic approach to characterizing patients' asthma phenotypes and delivering individualized care. Moreover, since early wheezers are at higher risk of developing asthma, we speculate that precocious interventions aimed at early diagnosis and prevention of modifiable factors might affect the age at onset of wheezing, reduce the prevalence of persistent later asthma and determine long term benefits for lung health.

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OBJECTIVES: To describe the prevalence of malocclusions in 2- to 10-year-old children suffering from obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) and to evaluate the association between occlusal variables and OSA. SETTING AND SAMPLE POPULATION: A total of 2101 consecutive patients referred to an otorhinolaryngology unit were considered for the study. One hundred and fifty-six children (range 2-10 years) with suspected OSA were selected for a sleep study. The final sample consisted of 139 children suffering from OSA and a control group of 137 children. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All patients included in the study underwent a clinical orthodontic examination to record the following occlusal variables: primary canine relationship, presence of a posterior crossbite, overjet and overbite. Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals, comparing the demographic characteristics and dental parameters in OSA vs non-OSA children, were computed. Multivariable logistic regression models were developed to compare independent variables associated with OSA to non-OSA children. RESULTS: The prevalence of malocclusions in children with OSA was 89.9% compared to 60.6% in the control group (P < 0.001). Factors independently associated with OSA compared to the control group were posterior crossbite (OR = 3.38; 95%CI:1.73-6.58), reduced overbite (OR = 2.43; 95%CI:1.15-5.15.), increased overbite (OR = 2.19; 95%CI:1.12-4.28) and increased overjet (OR = 4.25; 95%CI:1.90-9.48). CONCLUSIONS: This study showed a high prevalence of malocclusion in children with OSA compared to the control group. The posterior crossbite and deviations in overjet and overbite were significantly associated with OSA. The presence of these occlusal features shows the importance of an orthodontic evaluation in screening for paediatric OSA.

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BACKGROUND: Seasonal variability on obstructive sleep apnea has already been studied by polysomnography in children. Winter and spring season emerged as critical periods. No data are currently available for pulse oximetry performed at home. The aim of our study was to evaluate the effect of seasonality and age on the results of at-home pulse oximetry performed in children referred for suspected OSA. METHODS: We retrospectively studied 781 children (64.3% Males), aged 4.9 ± 2.5 years. For all patients, we evaluated both pulse oximetry metrics and the McGill Oximetry Score. Variables for seasonal groups were assessed using Kruskal-Wallis test. A logistic regression model was performed to assess the relationship between patients' main characteristics, season period and the likelihood to have an abnormal McGill Oximetry Score. RESULTS: Patients recorded during winter were significantly younger (p < 0.02), nadir SpO2 was significantly lower (p < 0.002) and DI4 significantly higher than during others seasons (p < 0.005). Moreover, patients recorded during winter were nearly 2 times more likely to have an abnormal MOS (aOR 1.949). The logistic regression showed that also younger age (p < 0.0001) was associated with a higher risk to find an abnormal pulse oximetry. CONCLUSIONS: In our study, the winter season confirms to be a critical period for pulse-oximetry and it should be taken into account by clinicians for a correct interpretation of tests. Our data show that also younger age affects the prevalence of abnormal at-home pulse oximetry in children.

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Nocturnal pulse oximetry has a high positive predictive value for polysomnographically diagnosed obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) in children. When significant adenotonsillar hypertrophy is diagnosed, adenotonsillectomy (T&A) represents a common treatment for OSA in children. We investigated the role of pulse oximetry in predicting those patients, referred for suspected OSA, who subsequently needed T&A. At-home nocturnal pulse oximetry was performed on 380 children (65.7% males), median age 4.1(IRQ 3.0-5.6) years, referred for suspected OSA, and data were retrospectively analysed. For each recording McGill Oximetry Score (MOS) was categorized. Mean pulse rate (PR) z-score and pulse rate variability (PRV)-corrected (PRSD/meanPR) were significantly higher in children with abnormal MOS. Both parameters were significantly higher in subjects who underwent T&A compared with those not surgically treated. Both DI4 and PRV corrected showed a negative correlation with the elapsed time between pulse oximetry recordings and T&A. The logistic regression model showed a strong effect of an abnormal MOS as a predicting factor for T&A (adjusted odds ratio 19.7). CONCLUSIONS: In our study, children with OSA who subsequently needed T&A showed higher PRV compared to those without surgical indication. Children with abnormal MOS were nearly 20 times more likely to undergo T&A. What is Known: • Nocturnal pulse oximetry has a high positive predictive value for polysomnographically diagnosed obstructive sleep apnoea in children. • When significant adenotonsillar hypertrophy is diagnosed, adenotonsillectomy represents a common treatment for OSA in children. What is New: • An abnormal pulse oximetry highly predict the indication for adenotonsillectomy. • We suggest the use of at-home pulse oximetry as method to predict prescription of adenotonsillectomy, and this may be useful in contexts where polysomnography is not readily available.

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OBJECTIVE: There have been few published reports on the sleep patterns of patients with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) type 2, and none on sleep microstructure. The aim of this study was to analyze sleep architecture and microstructure in a group of children with SMA type 2, compared with age-matched and sex-matched controls. METHODS: Seventeen SMA type 2 children (seven males, mean age 4.2 years) and 12 controls (five males, mean age 5.0 years) underwent full polysomnography to evaluate sleep architecture and microstructure by means of the Cyclic Alternating Pattern (CAP). RESULTS: Compared with the control children, the SMA type 2 patients showed a mild increase in the apnea/hypopnea index. Sleep was characterized by a decrease in the number of sleep stage shifts per hour, of percentage of stage N3, of stage R, and of sleep efficiency. On the contrary, significant increases of awakenings per hour, wake after sleep onset, and percentage of stage N1 were found. The CAP analysis revealed a significant increase in the percentage of A1 CAP subtypes, a reduction of that of A3 subtypes, and of A2 and A3 indexes. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicated an abnormality of sleep macrostructure and microstructure in SMA type 2 patients, which was characterized by a reduction of A2 and A3 subtypes (low and high power arousals), supporting the concept of a decreased arousability in SMA type 2 patients. Similar to a previous report on SMA type 1, the findings might be additional proof of central nervous system involvement, although these alterations are less severe than those observed in infants with SMA type 1.

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OBJECTIVES: Sleep disordered breathing (SDB) is common in patients with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) and systematic screening is recommended, especially before growth hormone treatment. The aim of the study was to describe the baseline SDB and therapeutic interventions in a large cohort of patients. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective study. SUBJECT SELECTION: Eighty-eight patients with PWS, median [interquartile range] age of 5.1 [1.0-14.5] years old (range 0.3-44.3), who were followed in three centers (France, Italy). METHODOLOGY: Anthropometrics, polygraphy (PG), and gas exchange data were analyzed. RESULTS: Median body mass index (BMI) was 20 [16-34] kg/m(2), BMI z-score for patients aged 2-20 years old was 2.1 [1.2-2.8] SD, mixed-obstructive apnea-hypopnea index (MOAHI) 1.8 [0.6-5.0] events/hr, and central apnea index (CAI) 0.1 [0.0-0.6] events/hr. Minimum pulse oximetry (SpO2) was 88 [84-91]%, percentage of time with SpO2 <90% 0.1 [0.0-1.0]%, and oxygen desaturation index 2 [1-4]/hr. An apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) ≥ 1.5 and ≥ 5 events/hr was observed in 53% of children and 41% of adults, respectively. No correlations were observed between MOAHI and anthropometrics data (age, BMI, BMI z-score), while MOAHI significantly correlated with SpO2 indexes. Age and BMI only weakly correlated with SpO2 indexes. Growth hormone could be initiated in 48 patients. Regarding post-PG therapy, 9 patients had upper airway surgery, and noninvasive CPAP/bilevel ventilation was started in 16 patients. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with PWS exhibit a high prevalence of SDB. The lack of association between obesity and SDB leads to hypothesize that hypotonia and/or facial dysmorphic features may play a major role in the occurrence of SDB.

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