Variation in Sleep Stability with Differences in Severity of Sleep-Disordered Breathing in Children.

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to analyze the association between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) severity and various cardiopulmonary coupling (CPC) parameters in children with OSA.

STUDY DESIGN

Retrospective cross-sectional study.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted among 117 children (aged 7.96 ± 3.54 years, 86 male) who underwent both full-night polysomnography (PSG) and CPC for suspicion of sleep-disordered breathing (SDB). We analyzed the association between various CPC and PSG findings.

RESULTS

The apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) was negatively correlated with high frequency coupling (HFC, r = -0.374, P < .001) and very low frequency coupling (VLFC, r = -0.192, P = .038) and positively correlated with low frequency coupling (LFC, r = 0.503, P < .001), elevated low frequency coupling (e-LFC, r = 0.475, P < .001), and narrow and broad band e-LFC (e-LFC and e-LFC ; r = 0.221, P = .016 and r = 0.468, P < .001, respectively). The arousal index was negatively correlated with HFC (r = - 0.466, P < .001) and positively correlated with LFC, e-LFC, e-LFC , and e-LFC (r = 0.543, r = 0.460, r = 0.239, and r = 0.445, respectively; all P < .001). In addition, we also found a significant difference in various CPC values according to OSA severity.

CONCLUSION

CPC parameters accurately reflect sleep fragmentation and OSA severity in children. Thus, we can verify objective sleep quality using CPC analysis, which is a simple method of analyzing sleep stability in children with SDB.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

4 Laryngoscope, 131:435-439, 2021.