To assess the potential cost-effectiveness of neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) for treatment of mild obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

A decision-analytic Markov model was developed to estimate health state progression, incremental cost, and quality-adjusted life year (QALY) gain of NMES compared to no treatment, continuous airway pressure (CPAP), or oral appliance (OA) treatment. The base case assumed no cardiovascular (CV) benefit for any of the interventions, while potential CV benefit was considered in scenario analyses. Therapy effectiveness was based on a recent multi-center trial for NMES, and on the TOMADO and MERGE studies for OA and CPAP. Costs, considered from a United States payer perspective, were projected over lifetime for a 48-year-old cohort, 68% of whom were male. An incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) threshold of USD150,000 per QALY gained was applied.

From a baseline AHI of 10.2 events/hour, NMES, OA and CPAP reduced the AHI to 6.9, 7.0 and 1.4 events/hour respectively. Long-term therapy adherence was estimated at 65-75% for NMES and 55% for both OA and CPAP. Compared to no treatment, NMES added between 0.268 and 0.536 QALYs and between USD7,481 and USD17,445 in cost, resulting in ICERs between USD15,436 and USD57,844 per QALY gained. Depending on long-term adherence assumptions, either NMES or CPAP were found to be the preferred treatment option, with NMES becoming more attractive with younger age and assuming CPAP was not used for the full night in all patients.

NMES might be a cost-effective treatment option for patients with mild OSA.

Patients with untreated obstructive sleep apnea often report depressive symptoms, such as low mood, loss of interest and reduction of drive. In this study we examined the frequency of significant depressive symptoms amongst patients with untreated obstructive sleep apnea over a one year period.

From January to December 2008 we screened 1260 consecutive patients with untreated obstructive sleep apnea (AHI > 9) seen at our Center for Sleep Medicine were screened for depression. Based on self-administered questionnaires, patients with significant depressive symptoms were defined as having either a BDI II score ≥ 14 or WHO-5 ≤ 13. Additionally, severity of depression was rated based on BDI II scores.

Depressive symptoms were reported frequently. Based on BDI-II, 27.9% of patients report significant depressive symptoms. Of these, 46.2% were mild, 35.9% moderate and 17.9% severe. In addition, 52.6% of patients self-reported feeling unwell based on their WHO-5 scores.

Significant depressive symptoms measured by standardised self-rating scales were detected in over a quarter of our patients with untreated sleep apnea. It remains unknown whether treatment of OSA alone abolishes depressive symptoms, or whether depressive mood may reduce the compliance with treatment. Patients may need an interdisciplinary approach to initial treatment.

Although sleep apnea is an important disorder associated with cardiac events, data regarding its prevalence and risk factors in adult patients with congenital heart disease are limited.

In this study, patients underwent a sleep study in the hospital. Indications for admission were classified as heart failure, diagnostic catheterisation, interventional catheterisation, or arrhythmia. The prevalence, characteristics, and risk factors of sleep apnea using a type-3 portable overnight polygraph in adult patients with congenital heart disease were evaluated.

There were 104 patients [median age: 36 (interquartile range: 28–48) years] who were admitted for heart failure 34% (n = 36), diagnostic catheterisation 26% (n = 27), interventional catheterisation 18% (n = 19), or arrhythmia 22% (n = 23). The prevalence of sleep apnea, defined as a respiratory disturbance index ≥5, was 63% (n = 63), with a distribution of 37%, 16%, and 10% for mild (5≤ respiratory disturbance index <15), moderate (15≤ respiratory disturbance index <30), and severe (respiratory disturbance index ≥30) sleep apnea, respectively. A large majority of the sleep apnea cases were categorised as obstructive sleep apnea (92%, n = 58). The respiratory disturbance index ≥15 group had a significantly higher proportion of male patients and higher body mass index, noradrenaline level, and aortic blood pressure than the group without sleep apnea (respiratory disturbance index <5). Multivariable analysis showed that New York Heart Association class ≥II (OR, 4.36; 95% CI, 1.09–20.87) and body mass index ≥25 (OR, 4.29; 95% CI, 1.32–15.23) were independent risk factors for a respiratory disturbance index ≥15.

Our results showed a high prevalence of sleep apnea in adult patients with congenital heart disease. Its unique haemodynamics may be associated with a high prevalence of sleep apnea. Congestive heart failure and being overweight are important risk factors for sleep apnea. Management of heart failure and general lifestyle improvements will be important for controlling sleep apnea symptoms in these patients.

This review examined the efficacy of intranasal corticosteroids for improving adenotonsillar hypertrophy.

The related literature was searched using PubMed and Proquest Central databases.

Adenotonsillar hypertrophy causes mouth breathing, nasal congestion, hyponasal speech, snoring, obstructive sleep apnoea, chronic sinusitis and recurrent otitis media. Adenoidal hypertrophy results in the obstruction of nasal passages and Eustachian tubes, and blocks the clearance of nasal mucus. Adenotonsillar hypertrophy and obstructive sleep apnoea are associated with increased expression of various mediators of inflammatory responses in the tonsils, and respond to anti-inflammatory agents such as corticosteroids. Topical nasal steroids most likely affect the anatomical component by decreasing inspiratory upper airway resistance at the nasal, adenoidal or tonsillar levels. Corticosteroids, by their lympholytic or anti-inflammatory effects, might reduce adenotonsillar hypertrophy. Intranasal corticosteroids reduce cellular proliferation and the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines in a tonsil and adenoid mixed-cell culture system.

Intranasal corticosteroids have been used in adenoidal hypertrophy and adenotonsillar hypertrophy patients, decreasing rates of surgery for adenotonsillar hypertrophy.

To search for studies on tongue–lip adhesion and tongue repositioning used as isolated treatments for obstructive sleep apnoea in children with Pierre Robin sequence.

A systematic literature search of PubMed/Medline and three additional databases, from inception through to 8 July 2016, was performed by two authors.

Seven studies with 90 patients (59 tongue–lip adhesion and 31 tongue repositioning patients) met the inclusion criteria. Tongue–lip adhesion reduced the mean (± standard deviation) apnoea/hypopnoea index from 30.8 ± 22.3 to 15.4 ± 18.9 events per hour (50 per cent reduction). The apnoea/hypopnoea index mean difference for tongue–lip adhesion was −15.28 events per hour (95 per cent confidence interval = −30.70 to 0.15; p = 0.05). Tongue–lip adhesion improved the lowest oxygen saturation from 75.8 ± 6.8 to 84.4 ± 7.3 per cent. Tongue repositioning reduced the apnoea/hypopnoea index from 46.5 to 17.4 events per hour (62.6 per cent reduction). Tongue repositioning improved the mean oxygen saturation from 90.8 ± 1.2 to 95.0 ± 0.5 per cent.

Tongue–lip adhesion and tongue repositioning can improve apnoea/hypopnoea index and oxygenation parameters in children with Pierre Robin sequence and obstructive sleep apnoea.

To investigate the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and sleep apnoea severity relationship.

Patients (n = 178) were assigned to five groups according to apnoea–hypopnea indices and continuous positive airway pressure use. White blood cell, neutrophil, lymphocyte and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio values were compared for each group.

The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio values of severe obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome patients (group 4) were significantly higher than those of: control patients (group 1), mild obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome patients (group 2) and patients treated with continuous positive airway pressure (group 5) (p = 0.008, p = 0.008 and p = 0.003). Minimum oxygen saturation values of group 4 were significantly lower than those of groups 1, 2 and 5 (p = 0.0005, p = 0.011 and p = 0.001). There was a positive correlation between apnoea–hypopnea index and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (r = 0.758, p = 0.034), and a negative correlation between apnoea–hypopnea index and minimum oxygen saturation (r = −0.179, p = 0.012).

Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio may be used to determine disease severity, complementing polysomnography.

Sleep disordered breathing in children causes disturbance in behaviour and also in cardiorespiratory and neurocognitive function. Subtotal tonsillectomy (‘tonsillotomy’) has been performed to treat sleep disordered breathing, with outcomes comparable to established therapies such as total tonsillectomy or adenoidectomy. This review critically assesses the role of subtotal tonsillectomy in a paediatric setting.

The Medline database (1966 to October 2012) was electronically searched using key terms including subtotal or intracapsular tonsillectomy, tonsillotomy, tonsillectomy, paediatrics, and sleep disordered breathing.

Eighteen papers were identified and reviewed. Subtotal tonsillectomy would appear to have an efficacy equal to that of total tonsillectomy for the treatment of sleep disordered breathing, and has significant benefits in reducing post-operative pain and analgesia use. Subtotal tonsillectomy patients appear to have less frequent post-operative haemorrhage compared with total tonsillectomy patients.

In children, subtotal tonsillectomy is associated with fewer post-operative complications whilst having a comparable effect in improving sleep disordered breathing, compared with total tonsillectomy.