Long-term non-invasive positive airway pressure ventilation in infants

Polysomnography in infants with clinical suspicion of sleep-related breathing disorders

STUDY OBJECTIVES

Limited data exist concerning the indications, parameters, utility of daytime polysomnography, and treatment of infants with suspected sleep-related breathing disorders.

METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed all polysomnography undertaken in a quaternary pediatric hospital for term infants up to 6 months of age between January 2017 and December 2019. Outcomes were evaluated, including a comparison among diagnostic groups.

RESULTS

Of 161 infants (58% male), 77 (48%) were ≤ 2 months old, and 103 (61%) were referred for either craniofacial abnormalities or an airway malformation. Daytime (n = 100) vs nighttime (n = 61) studies showed no differences in sleep architecture or treatment rates. Apnea-hypopnea index was > 10 events/h in 137 (85%) and was similar across different diagnostic groups, and 97 (78%) were prescribed noninvasive ventilation, with a mean treatment duration of 13.4 ± 9 months. Of the infants who were commenced on noninvasive ventilation 75% did not require it beyond 24 months.

CONCLUSIONS

Polysomnographic sleep parameters and the number of treatments prescribed were equivalent whether the polysomnography was performed during daytime or nighttime. Treatment with noninvasive ventilation was required in the short term for most infants with sleep-related breathing disorders, regardless of the indication for referral.

CITATION

Singh J, Yeoh E, Castro C, Uy C, Waters K. Polysomnography in infants with clinical suspicion of sleep-related breathing disorders. J Clin Sleep Med. 2022;18(12):2803-2812.

ERS Statement on pediatric long term noninvasive respiratory support

Long term noninvasive respiratory support, comprising continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) and noninvasive ventilation (NIV), in children is expanding worldwide, with increasing complexities of children being considered for this type of ventilator support and expanding indications such as palliative care. There have been improvements in equipment and interfaces. Despite growing experience, there are still gaps in a significant number of areas: there is a lack of validated criteria for CPAP/NIV initiation, optimal follow-up and monitoring; weaning and long term benefits have not been evaluated. Therapeutic education of the caregivers and the patient is of paramount importance, as well as continuous support and assistance, in order to achieve optimal adherence. The preservation or improvement of the quality of life of the patient and caregivers should be a concern for all children treated with long term CPAP/NIV. As NIV is a highly specialised treatment, patients are usually managed by an experienced pediatric multidisciplinary team. This Statement written by experts in the field of pediatric long term CPAP/NIV aims to emphasize on the most recent scientific input and should open up to new perspectives and research areas.

Transition to adult care in sleep medicine

More children with chronic and complex care needs are transitioned to adulthood due to advancements in medical technology including the use of non-invasive ventilation [NIV] at home and innovative medical therapies. Sleep medicine is becoming a common and at times vital component of the management plan. Various challenges are experienced in transitioning sleep patients depending on the underlying condition. These include the direct conflict between the desires of a young person for independence and their declining ability to provide self-care in neuromuscular patients, the behavioural challenges inherent in the management of children with various syndromes and the funding of equipment, care needs and multidisciplinary team input in an already resource limited adult setting. These patients should be transitioned in an early and coordinated approach following core principles of transition. Ongoing advocacy is required to raise awareness of the increased trend for technology supported young people being transitioned. Further research is required to track and assess the transition process in patients with various sleep conditions.

Long-term Non-Invasive Ventilation in Infants: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND

The use of long-term non-invasive ventilation (NIV) to treat sleep and breathing disorders in children has increased substantially in the last decade; however, less data exist about its use in infants. Given that infants have distinct sleep and breathing patterns when compared to older children, the outcomes of infants on long-term NIV may differ as well. The aim of this study is to systematically review the use and outcomes of long-term NIV in infants.

METHODS

Ovid Medline, Ovid Embase, CINAHL (via EbscoHOST), PubMed, and Wiley Cochrane Library were systematically searched from January 1990 to July 2017. Studies on infants using long-term NIV outside of an acute care setting were included. Data were extracted on study design, population characteristics, and NIV outcomes.

RESULTS

A total of 327 studies were full-text reviewed, with final inclusion of 60. Studies were distributed across airway (40%), neuromuscular (28%), central nervous system (10%), cardio-respiratory (2%), and multiple (20%) disease categories. Of the 18 airway studies reporting on NIV outcomes, 13 (72%) reported improvements in respiratory parameters. Of the 12 neuromuscular studies exclusively on spinal muscular atrophy type 1 (SMA1), six (50%) reported decreased hospitalizations and nine (75%) reported on mortality outcomes. Risk of bias was moderate to serious, and quality of the evidence was low to very low for all studies. Most studies had an observational design with no control group, limiting the potential for a meta-analysis.

CONCLUSION

The outcomes reported in studies differed by the disease category being studied. Studies on airway conditions showed improvements in respiratory parameters for infants using NIV. Studies on neuromuscular disorder, which were almost exclusively on SMA1, reported decreased hospitalizations and prolonged survival. Overall, it appears that NIV is an effective long-term therapy for infants. However, the high risk of bias and low quality of the available evidence limited strong conclusions.

A comparison of invasive and noninvasive ventilation in children less than 1 year of age: A long-term follow-up study

BACKGROUND

We report on the long-term survival of children initiated on invasive and noninvasive positive pressure ventilation (NiPPV) before the age of 1 to assess the safety and efficacy of long-term ventilation at home.

METHODS

A chart review was performed of children initiated on long-term home mechanical ventilation (LTHV) before the age of 1 year, at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), Canada, between January 1991 and April 2014.

RESULTS

We report on 51 children. Twenty-five children (49%) received NiPPV and 26 (51%) received invasive mechanical ventilation via tracheostomy (IMV). There was one NiPPV initiation between 1991 and 2001, the rest were in subsequent years. Most children had a "musculoskeletal disorder" in the NiPPV cohort, n = 14 (56%) and a "central nervous system" disorder in the IMV cohort, n = 13 (50%). The pCO2 improved with the initiation of NiPPV, P = < 0.0001. Of the 25 subjects initiated on NiPPV, eight (32%) are currently being followed as compared to 22 (84%) in the IMV cohort. Seven (28%) of the NiPPV group were weaned off ventilation as compared to three (11.5%) in the IMV cohort. There were two NiPPV treatment failures. There were more deaths in the NiPPV cohort: eight (32%) versus two (7.6%) in the IMV cohort. Four of the deaths in the NiPPV cohort were in children in whom a palliative approach was taken. None were due to NiPPV technical failure.

CONCLUSIONS

Based on this long-term follow-up study, NiPPV use in infants appears to be a viable long-term ventilation strategy.

Long-term non-invasive ventilation therapies in children: a scoping review protocol

INTRODUCTION

Non-invasive ventilation (NIV) in children has become an increasingly common modality of breathing support where pressure support is delivered through a mask interface or less commonly through other non-invasive interfaces. At this time, NIV is considered a first-line option for ventilatory support of chronic respiratory insufficiency associated with a range of respiratory and sleep disorders. Previous reviews on the effectiveness, complications and adherence to NIV treatment have lacked systematic methods. The purpose of this scoping review is to provide an overview of the evidence for the use of long-term NIV in children.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

We will use previously established scoping methodology. Ten electronic databases will be searched to identify studies in children using NIV for longer than 3 months outside an intensive care setting. Grey literature search will include conference proceedings, thesis and dissertations, unpublished trials, reports from regulatory agencies and manufacturers. Two reviewers will independently screen titles and abstracts for inclusion, followed by full-text screening of potentially relevant articles to determine final inclusion. Data synthesis will be performed at three levels: (1) an analysis of the number, publication type, publication year, and country of publication of the studies; (2) a summary of the study designs, outcomes measures used; (3) a thematic analysis of included studies by subgroups.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

This study will provide a wide and rigorous overview of the evidence on the use of long-term NIV in children and provide critical information for healthcare professionals and policymakers to better care for this group of children. We will disseminate our findings through conference proceedings and publications, and evaluate the results for further systematic reviews and meta-analyses.