Obstructive sleep apnea in children. Our experience

We expose our experience in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) in the pediatric population and review the literature. Forty-six nocturnal respiratory polygraphies were performed using a portable device (Eden Trace II Plus) that measures heart rate, chest wall impedance, nasal/oral airflow and oxygen saturation. Seven children have been studied before and six weeks after Adenotonsillectomy. All this children experienced an immediate and important improvement of their obstructive symptoms. After Adenotonsillectomy the number of obstructive sleep apneas disminished up to 87.25% and the number of hypoapneas disminished up to 73.3. The arterial oxygen saturation during the night normalized in the seven patients. The initial treatment of OSAS in children should be the Adenotonsillectomy, although the diagnostic criteria of OSAS in children have to be defined more precisely in the future.