Latest trends in the assessment and management of paediatric snoring and sleep apnoea.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the assessment and management of paediatric snoring and obstructive sleep apnoea in UK otolaryngology departments.

METHOD: A telephone questionnaire survey of UK otolaryngology departments was conducted over a 16-week period.

RESULTS

The response rate was 61 per cent (85 out of 139 trusts). Use of pre-operative pulse oximetry was reported by 84 per cent of respondents, mainly to diagnose obstructive sleep apnoea (73 per cent) or stratify post-operative risk (46 per cent). Thirty-one per cent of respondents reported using post-operative pulse oximetry. Twenty-five per cent of respondents have a dedicated management protocol for paediatric obstructive sleep apnoea and snoring. Thirty-four per cent require prior clinical commissioning group approval before performing surgery. Fifty-eight per cent of respondents reported following up their obstructive sleep apnoea patients after surgery. The mean follow-up period (±standard deviation) was 6.8 ± 1.2 weeks.

CONCLUSION

There is variation in the assessment and management of paediatric snoring and obstructive sleep apnoea across the UK, particularly in the use of pre- and post-operative pulse oximetry monitoring, and further guidelines regarding this are necessary.