COMPUTER-ASSISTED PULSE OXIMETRY FOR DETECTING CHILDREN WITH OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP-APNEA SYNDROME

A prospective study was carried out on 110 children undergoing tonsill ectomy or adenotonsillectomy to evaluate the usefulness of computer as sisted pulse oximetry (POM) as a screening tool for nocturnal obstruct ive sleep apnea episodes. Twenty-one healthy age-matched children serv ed as a control group. A self-designed software (CAPO version 1.0) was used to analyse collected oximetric data. Pre-operatively up to 25% o f children showed a characteristic pattern of repeated oxygen desatura tions related to partial or complete airway obstruction, which was not seen in the matched group. Thirty-one percent had an oxygen desaturat ion index (ODI) of more than 2 phases/h, being significantly higher th an in the matched group. These children could not be identified from h istory or clinical examination with an acceptable sensitivity. A secon d monitoring has been performed in 32 patients 5 days after surgery. T he nocturnal cyclic oscillations of oxygen saturation resolved in almo st all cases. Computer assisted POM is useful in predicting and gradin g nocturnal obstruction and adds decision making data for the treatmen t in children suspected of suffering from obstructive sleep apnea.