Central sleep apnea in otherwise healthy term infants

To describe the outcomes of central sleep apnea requiring home supplemental oxygen therapy in otherwise healthy term infants.

All children < 1 year of age undergoing polysomnography between 2015 and 2020 at the Queensland Children's Hospital were retrospectively studied. Children with gestational age < 37 weeks, underlying syndrome, cleft palate, those with obstructive apnea-hypopnea index > 50% of total apnea-hypopnea index, or with underlying cardiac or pulmonary parenchymal pathology were excluded. Polysomnography parameters were extracted for periods both on and off supplemental oxygenation.

Fifty-two (mean [standard deviation] age at polysomnography 32.6 [34.7] days; 21 females) term infants were included. There was a statistically significant improvement in apnea-hypopnea index on supplemental oxygen (mean [standard deviation] in room air 50.2 [36.3] vs 11.6 [9], P < .001 on supplemental oxygen), in both rapid eye movement and nonrapid eye movement sleep, as well as in mean oxygen saturations (96.6% in room air to 98.9% on oxygen; P < .001). There was no statistically significant change in transcutaneous carbon dioxide levels or sleep duration. Oxygenation was prescribed for a median (interquartile range) age of 197 (127) days.

Central sleep apnea in term infants who are otherwise healthy generally has a good prognosis, with oxygen therapy prescribed for around 6 months. Oxygen therapy was associated with improved saturations and decrease in apnea-hypopnea index when assessed with polysomnography.

Hayashi A, Suresh S, Kevat A, Robinson J, Kapur N. Central sleep apnea in otherwise healthy term infants. J Clin Sleep Med. 2022; 18(12):2813-2817.