Health Inequalities in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Children and Adults.

Our understanding of the prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in the United States is confounded by significant inequalities in diagnosis and treatment based on gender, race and socioeconomic status. Health literacy and cultural norms contribute to these inequities. Large gaps in data exist, as certain populations like Native Americans, Pacific Islanders, and sexual minorities have been sparsely studied, or not at all. Future research should aim to develop more inclusive diagnostic strategies to address OSA in diverse populations.

Descriptors in Letters of Recommendation for Otolaryngology Residency Across Gender, Race, and Time.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether differences exist in the descriptors used in letters of recommendations for Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery (OHNS) residency candidates, comparing race and gender as depicted in visual letters of recommendation (VLORs) from the 2014 and 2019 application cycles. DESIGN: Four hundred thirty-three LORS (284 narrative LORs and 149 standardized LORs) and 63 medical student performance evaluations for 104 candidates who interviewed at the University of Cincinnati OHNS residency program in 2014 and 2019 were analyzed. Descriptors from LORs and medical student performance evaluations were collected by two reviewers and QSR NVivo 12 was used to generate a word cloud that grouped words by synonym and weighted them by frequency. Reviewers coded these synonyms into one of eight descriptor categories. Race and gender were self-reported from residency applications. The average of each category frequency for each race and gender were compared using student t-tests. SETTING: University of Cincinnati OHNS Residency Program. PARTICIPANTS: 104 OHNS applicants that interviewed at the University of Cincinnati in 2014 and 2019. RESULTS: Of the 104 candidates reviewed, 39 were female (37.5%). 66/104 (63%) of applicants identified as white, 31/104 (30%) as non-white, and 7/104 (7%) preferred not to say. No significant differences were found between male vs female descriptors. However, white applicants had more "leadership" descriptors (1.3% vs 0.5%, p = 0.01) and fewer "intelligence" words (6.6% vs 4.8%, p = 0.02) than non-white applicants. Applicants in 2019 were described with more team player (14.2% vs 9.6%, p < 0.0001), leadership (1.6% vs 0.7%, p = 0.047), and reserved (1.7% vs 0.7%, p = 0.02) words, but fewer grindstone (25.2% vs 32.1%, p < 0.0001) and ability/agentic (27.9% vs 32.6%, p < 0.0001) words than applicants in 2014. CONCLUSIONS: In VLORs for OHNS residency, male and female applicants are described similarly, but white applicants are described as leaders more frequently and as intelligent less frequently than non-white counterparts. Regardless, it is encouraging to see applicants described with a more humanistic vocabulary in 2019.

Racial Disparities in Surgical Treatment of Obstructive Sleep Apnea.

Objective: Determine risk factors for failure to receive surgical treatment among patients with obstructive sleep apnea. Study Design: Population-based observational longitudinal cohort study. Setting: Population-based database. Methods: Multivariate analysis of 500,792 individuals with obstructive sleep apnea from Optum's deidentified Clinformatics Data Mart database (2004-2018). Results: Black race, increased age, diabetes, atrial fibrillation, obesity, and congestive heart failure were independently associated with a decreased rate of surgery for obstructive sleep apnea. Asian race, hypertension, arrhythmias other than atrial fibrillation, pulmonary disease, and liver disease were independently associated with an increased rate of surgery for obstructive sleep apnea. Conclusion: Racial disparities in health outcomes related to health care access and in economic resources have an enormous impact on public health and social equity. We found differences in rates of surgery for obstructive sleep apnea based on race. These data are consistent with others demonstrating disparities in medical treatment of sleep apnea with positive pressure and underline a need for a change in awareness and treatment in these populations.

Children with Down syndrome and mild OSA: treatment with medication versus observation.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: Children with Down syndrome (DS) have a high prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Anti-inflammatory medications have been shown to be an effective treatment for mild OSA in otherwise healthy children. However, the efficacy in children with DS and mild OSA has not been investigated. Our aim was to examine the polysomnographic changes of children with DS and mild OSA treated with medication. METHODS: A retrospective chart review was performed in children with DS (< 18 years) and mild OSA (obstructive apnea-hypopnea index ≤ 5 events/h) diagnosed by polysomnography (PSG) between 2006 and 2018. Patients were included if they were treated with medications (intranasal corticosteroids and/or montelukast) or by observation with a duration of at least 3 months and had baseline and follow-up PSGs. Demographic data, comorbid diagnoses, and PSG data were collected and analyzed. RESULTS: Forty-five children met inclusion criteria. In the medication group, 29 children were identified. The median age was 7.4 years (interquartile range [IQR] 4.9-9.3). In the observation group, 16 children were identified. The median age was 4.0 years (IQR 3.2-5.3). The median time from baseline to follow-up PSG was 14.0 months (IQR 10.0-22.9) for the medication group and 10.5 months (IQR 6.5-33.5) for the observation group. There were no significant changes in the median obstructive apnea-hypopnea index from the baseline to follow-up PSG in either the medication group (2.8 [IQR 2.2-3.6) versus 3.5 [IQR 1.4-4.8) events/h; P = .25) or the observation group (2.3 [IQR 1.3-3.1] versus 2.9 [IQR 1.9-6.8] events/h; P = .12). Similarly, there were no significant differences in apnea-hypopnea index, oxygen nadir or end-tidal carbon dioxide between the groups (P = .07-1). CONCLUSIONS: In our cohort, medication therapy did not significantly improve polysomnographic measures in children with DS and mild OSA. Several factors such as hypotonia and relative macroglossia may explain the ineffectiveness of medical therapy for OSA in this population. Further prospective studies are necessary to confirm these results and to evaluate if a subgroup of DS children may benefit from medical therapy.

Outcomes in children with down syndrome and mild obstructive sleep apnea treated non-surgically.

OBJECTIVES: Nasal steroids, oral anti-leukotrienes and supplemental oxygen are effective in the treatment of mild obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in otherwise healthy children. However, their efficacy is unknown in children with Down syndrome (DS). Here we examine the effect of single medication therapy versus observation versus oxygen on polysomnographic outcomes in these children. METHODS: We reviewed children (<18 years) diagnosed with DS and mild OSA (obstructive apnea-hypopnea index [oAHI] ≥1 to <5 events/hour) treated non-surgically (with supplemental oxygen, one medication, or observation) between 2012 and 2017. Demographic data, comorbid diagnoses, and pre- and posttreatment polysomnograms were analyzed. We assessed pre- and posttreatment oAHI, oxyhemoglobin saturation nadir, percent total sleep time (%TST) in rapid eye movement (REM), and end-tidal carbon dioxide (ETCO2 ) >50 mmHg. RESULTS: Twenty-four children met inclusion criteria; 10 treated with medication, one with oxygen, and 13 with observation (baseline oAHI was 3.5, 3.3, and 2.9 events/hour, respectively). There was no significant change in oAHI, oxyhemoglobin saturation nadir, ETCO2 , or percent TST in REM after treatment for any treatment group (P = .21-.94). There was no association between reported symptoms and AHI severity or change in AHI. OSA resolved in one patient treated with observation and two treated with medication, but worsened in two each in the medication and observation groups. Resolution of OSA occurred in 20% treated with medication, 7.7% with observation, and 0% with oxygen (P = .82). CONCLUSION: In our cohort, resolution of mild OSA was low. This suggests that consideration should be given to multimodality treatments in children with DS and mild OSA. Prospective studies will help establish effectiveness in this cohort. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4 Laryngoscope, 130:1828-1835, 2020.

Are Standardized Letters of Recommendation in Residency Applications Correlated With Objective Data?

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether the standardized letter of recommendation (SLOR), commonly used for medical students applying to otolaryngology residency, correlates with objective data in the application. BACKGROUND: Standardized letters of recommendation using Likert-type scales for different attributes are commonly used by evaluators because of their high interrater reliability and efficiency in preparation and interpretation. Given that these are subjectively scored, it is unknown how well these correlate with objective data. METHODS: Applications to the University of Cincinnati otolaryngology residency were evaluated in the academic cycle of 2017-2018. Standardized letters of recommendation were scored to determine whether certain attributes were correlated with objective data (United States Medical Licensing Examination [USMLE] scores and number of presentations/publications) provided in their application. Spearman correlations were used to evaluate the strength of the relationship between the subjective score in certain attributes with objective data. RESULTS: There were 217 applications to the University of Cincinnati that contained SLORs. Of these applications, 474 standardized letters were scored in categories of medical knowledge, research, and commitment to academic medicine. Total publications and presentations were weakly correlated with commitment to academic medicine (0.35, P < .0001, n = 369) and with research (0.44, P < .0001, n = 355). Medical knowledge was weakly correlated with Step 1 scores (0.20, P < .0001) and Step 2 scores (0.18, P = .0002). CONCLUSIONS: Subjective research and commitment to academic medicine rating scores were weakly correlated with greater academic productivity. Similarly, medical knowledge scores were weakly correlated with Step 1/2 scores. Further research may be needed to assess how to interpret SLOR scores in addition to the information available in an otolaryngology application. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4.

Sleep-Disordered Breathing in Pediatric Patients With Rett Syndrome.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: Although respiratory abnormalities occurring during wakefulness are well recognized in patients with Rett syndrome (RS), less has been reported regarding sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) in this population. This study aims to characterize the presenting complaints, types and severity of SDB, and treatment modalities of patients with RS and sleep concerns. METHODS: Retrospective chart review of pediatric patients with RS referred to our academic tertiary care institution from January 2007 to July 2017. RESULTS: Thirteen patients were identified, 11 female (84.6%); mean age at polysomnography (PSG) was 10.3 years (standard deviation 4.94). Eleven were white (84.6%), 2 were black (15.4%). The most common presenting symptoms were snoring (10/13, 77%) and witnessed apnea (7/13, 53.8%). On baseline PSG, all patients (100%) exhibited hyperapneas followed by a central apnea during wake. Nine (69.2%) had obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) (obstructive apnea-hypopnea index (oAHI) > 1); four had severe OSA (oAHI ≥ 10). One had central sleep apnea (central apnea index > 5) and severe OSA. No patients exhibited hypoventilation on baseline PSG. Mean AHI of all patients was 8.77 ± 8.82 (oAHI 6.51 ± 6.91) events/h. Mean oxyhemoglobin nadir was 88.52 ± 5.6%. Treatment modalities included observation: 5 (38%), acetazolamide: 2 (15%), nasal mometasone: 1 (7.7%), adenotonsillectomy: 3 (23.1%), and positive airway pressure: 2 (15%). CONCLUSIONS: Regarding patients with RS referred to the sleep medicine clinic, snoring and witnessed apneas were the most common presenting complaints. In addition to breathing abnormalities during wake, OSA was very common in our cohort. Further studies are needed to examine the pathogenesis of OSA in RS and relationships between disease genotype and respiratory abnormality phenotype.