Positional therapy for the treatment of positional obstructive sleep apnea in children: A randomized controlled crossover trial.

Background: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is prevalent in children, but many children remain untreated. Up to one half of children with OSA have positional OSA, a phenotype characterized by the predominance of airway obstruction while supine. Positional devices that prevent sleeping supine may be beneficial for positional OSA. We evaluated the efficacy of positional devices for treating positional OSA in children.

Study Design And Methods: This was a randomized crossover trial of children aged 4-18 years old with positional OSA. There were two treatment periods separated by 1-4 weeks. Each period consisted of a one-night in-laboratory polysomnogram with the experimental intervention (positional device with inflated cushions) or the inactive control (positional device with no cushions). The primary outcome was the difference in the obstructive apnea-hypopnea index (OAHI) between positional therapy and the control.

Results: 24 participants were randomized (median age = 9.0 years, 63% males). The adjusted relative percentage difference in the OAHI (positional therapy minus control) was -29.9% (95% CI -55.9% to 11.6%; p = 0.13). The adjusted relative percentage differences for the desaturation index, arousal index, and percentage of total sleep time supine were -23.4% (95% CI -45.0% to 6.7%; p = 0.11), -16.7% (95% CI -30.8% to 0.22%; p = 0.053), and -65.9% (95% CI -79.3% to -43.9%; p<0.001), respectively. There were no significant differences in comfort scores or adverse events.

Interpretation: Positional therapy reduced supine sleep time, but did not reduce the OAHI in all participants. Future studies with larger sample sizes to evaluate heterogeneity of treatment effects are warranted.