IntroductionObstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) and feeding difficulties are key problems for Pierre Robin sequence (PRS) infants. OSA management varies between treatment centres. Sleep positioning represents the traditional OSA treatment, although its effectiveness remains insufficiently evaluated.DesignTo complete a polysomnographic (PSG) evaluation of effect of sleep position on OSA in PRS infants less than 3 months of age. We analysed a 10-year national reference centre dataset of 76 PRS infants. PSG was performed as daytime recordings for 67 in the supine, side and prone sleeping position when possible. In most cases, recording included one cycle of non-rapid eye movement (NREM) and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep in each position.ResultsOne-third of infants (9/76, 12%) had severe OSA needing treatment intervention prior to PSG. During PSG, OSA with an obstructive apnoea and hypopnoea index (OAHI) >5 per hour was noted in 82% (55/67) of infants. OSA was most severe in the supine and mildest in the side or in the prone positions. The median OAHI in the supine, side and prone positions were 31, 16 and 19 per hour of sleep (p=0.003). For 68% (52/67) of the infants, either no treatment or positional treatment alone was considered sufficient.ConclusionsThe incidence of OSA was 84% (64/76) including the nine infants with severe OSA diagnosed prior to PSG. For the most infants, the OSA was sleep position dependent. Our study results support the use of PSG in the evaluation of OSA and the use of sleep positioning as a part of OSA treatment.

Background Obstructive sleep apnea in infants with Pierre Robin sequence is sleep-position dependent. The influence of sleep position on obstructive events is not established in other infants. Methods We re-evaluated ten-year pediatric sleep center data in infants aged less than six months, with polysomnography performed in different sleep positions. We excluded infants with syndromes, genetic defects, or structural anomalies. Results Comparison of breathing between supine and side sleeping positions was performed for 72 infants at the median corrected age of 4 weeks (interquartile range (IQR) 2-8 weeks). Of the infants, 74% were male, 35% were born prematurely, and 35% underwent study because of a life-threatening event or for being a SIDS sibling. Upper airway obstruction was more frequent (obstructive apnea-hypopnea index (OAHI), p < 0.001), 95th-percentile end-tidal carbon dioxide levels were higher (p = 0.004), and the work of breathing was heavier (p = 0.002) in the supine than in the side position. Median OAHI in the supine position was 8 h−1 (IQR 4–20 h−1), and in the side position was 4 h−1 (IQR 0-10 h−1). Conclusions Obstructive upper airway events in young infants are more frequent when supine than when sleeping on the side. Impact The effect of sleep position on obstructive sleep apnea is not well established in infants other than in those with Pierre Robin sequence. A tendency for upper airway obstruction is position dependent in most infants aged less than 6 months. Upper airway obstruction is more common, end-tidal carbon dioxide 95th-percentile values higher, and breathing more laborious in the supine than in the side-sleeping position. Upper airway obstruction and obstructive events have high REM sleep predominance. As part of obstructive sleep apnea treatment in young infants, side-sleeping positioning may prove useful.

Objectives The natural evolution of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in young infants is not established. Methods We re‐evaluated 10‐year pediatric sleep center infant polysomnography (PSG) data, excluding infants with syndromes, genetic defects, structural anomalies or periodic breathing > 5% of sleep time. Results Obstructive events > 1 h‐1 were evident in 255 infants, of which 91 were eligible for the study. Of the 38 infants in a follow‐up study, 30 (79%) were male, 15 (40%) were born prematurely, 25 (66%) had observed apneas, and 13 (33%) had experienced a brief, unexplained event or had a sibling of the infant died suddenly. The first PSG was performed at a median corrected age of 4 weeks (interquartile range [IQR] 2−7) and the second at 11 weeks (IQR 9−14). The obstructive apnea and hypopnea index (OAHI) was greater in the supine compared to side‐sleeping position in both recordings (p < 0.001), whereas OAHI dropped from 10 h‐1 (IQR 6−24) in the first PSG to 3 h‐1 (IQR 1−9) in the second PSG (p < 0.001). OSA alleviation was also observable as a decrease in the number of oxygen desaturations (p < 0.001), as a decrease in transcutaneous (p = 0.001) and end‐tidal carbon dioxide (p = 0.01) 95th percentile levels, and work of breathing (p = 0.002). Seven infants had a third PSG to verify a satisfactory improvement of OSA. Conclusions OSA in young infants without a clear syndrome or structural anomaly is sleep position dependent and shows improvement during the following few months.