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STUDY OBJECTIVES: The implementation of positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy to treat obstructive sleep apnea in children is a complex process. PAP therapy data are highly heterogeneous in pediatrics, and the clinical management cannot be generalized. We hypothesize that pediatric PAP users can be subgrouped via clustering analysis to guide tailored interventions. METHODS: PAP therapy data for 250 children with obstructive sleep apnea were retrospectively examined using unsupervised hierarchical cluster analysis based on (1) PAP tolerance (average hours on days used) and (2) consistency of PAP use (percentage of days used). Clinical features in each cluster were defined, and a tree decision analysis was generated for clinical implementation. RESULTS: We were able to subclassify all 250 children (median age = 11.5 years) into five clusters: A (13.6%), B (29.6%), C (17.6%), D (16.4%), and E (22.8%). The clusters showed significant differences in PAP use patterns (Kruskal-Wallis P value < 1e–16). The most consistent PAP use patterns were seen in clusters A, B, and C. Major differences across clusters included the prevalence of obesity, PAP setting, developmental delay, and adenotonsillectomy. We also identified important differences in mask acceptance, OSA severity, and individual responses to PAP therapy based on objective apnea-hypopnea reductions in PAP downloads. CONCLUSIONS: A simple method to subset PAP use patterns in children can be implemented by analyzing cloud-based PAP therapy data. This novel approach may contribute to optimization of PAP therapy in children of all ages based on real-world evidence at the individual level. CITATION: Weiss MR, Allen ML, Landeo-Gutierrez JS, et al. Defining the patterns of PAP adherence in pediatric obstructive sleep apnea: a clustering analysis using real world data. J Clin Sleep Med. 2021;17(5):1005–1013.

Introduction Fellowship program websites often serve as the initial resource applicants use to learn about programs. Websites have likely become even more important due to social distancing mandates related to the on-going Covid-19 pandemic. In this study, we evaluated the websites of sleep medicine fellowship programs and analyzed the comprehensiveness of their content. Methods Sleep medicine fellowship programs in the United States (US) for the 2021 match cycle were identified using the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) directory and the Fellowship and Residency Electronic Interactive database (FREIDA). Twenty-two prespecified website content criteria related to education, recruitment, and compensation were evaluated. Programs’ website comprehensiveness was compared based on geographic location (Northeast/Midwest/South/West); type of programs (Community/University); programs matching status (Complete/Partial or No matching status); core specialty (Internal medicine/Other specialties); and program size (based on number of sleep fellows). Results A total of 78 US sleep fellowship program’ websites were evaluated. Most (80.8%) had a direct functional link to ERAS or FREIDA websites. The percentage of sleep medicine fellowship program’ websites reporting each of the twenty-two-criterion was highly variable (range: 2.6%-98.7%). The percentage of overall website comprehensiveness among sleep medicine fellowship programs was 56.8%±16.5% (range:13.6%-90.9%). There was a significantly higher educational website content comprehensiveness for the Internal medicine compared to other specialties-based sleep programs (p = 0.002). There were no significant association between the overall, educational, recruitment, and compensation website content comprehensiveness of sleep programs and their US region location, type of affiliation, matching status, or program size. Conclusion Website content comprehensiveness amongst sleep fellowship programs in the US is variable with a lower educational content on website pages of non-internal medicine-based sleep programs. Improvement in website content of sleep medicine programs is a potentially easy way for programs to improve fellow recruitment, and more importantly, allow prospective sleep fellow applicants to make a more informed decision with regards to program selection. Support (If Any) This study was not funded.

ObjectivesObesity is a risk factor for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in children. Childhood obesity rates vary amongst different ethnic groups. Here we explore the interaction of Hispanic ethnicity and obesity on OSA risk.MethodsRetrospective cross-sectional analysis of consecutive children undergoing polysomnography and anthropometry using bioelectrical impedance from 2017-2020. Demographics obtained from the medical chart. Children who had also undergone cardiometabolic testing were identified to assess the relationship of cardiometabolic markers with OSA and anthropometry.ResultsData from 1217 children revealed Hispanic children were more likely to have moderate-severe OSA (36.0%) compared to Non-Hispanic children (26.5%), pConclusionsOSA is more likely in Hispanic children; this relationship is likely driven by obesity status rather than ethnicity. Among children undergoing cardiometabolic testing, Hispanic children were observed to have greater ALT concentrations however ethnicity did not impact the association of anthropometry and ALT or other cardiometabolic markers.

Study Objectives Several birth cohorts have defined the pivotal role of early lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI) in the inception of pediatric respiratory conditions. However, the association between early LRTI and the development of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in children has not been established. Methods To investigate whether early LRTIs increase the risk of pediatric OSA, we analyzed clinical data in children followed during the first 5 years in the Boston Birth Cohort (n = 3114). Kaplan–Meier survival estimates and Cox proportional hazards models adjusted by pertinent covariates were used to evaluate the risk of OSA by the age of 5 years between children with LRTI during the first 2 years of life in comparison to those without LRTI during this period. Results Early life LRTI increased the risk of pediatric OSA independently of other pertinent covariates and risk factors (hazard ratio, 1.53; 95% CI, 1.15 to 2.05). Importantly, the association between LRTI and pediatric OSA was limited to LRTIs occurring during the first 2 years of life. Complementarily to this finding, we observed that children who had severe respiratory syncytial virus bronchiolitis during infancy had two times higher odds of OSA at 5 years in comparison with children without this exposure (odds ratio, 2.09; 95% CI, 1.12 to 3.88). Conclusions Children with severe LRTIs in early life have significantly increased risk of developing OSA during the first 5 years of life. Our results offer a new paradigm for investigating novel mechanisms and interventions targeting the early pathogenesis of OSA in the pediatric population.