Samir Fahmy

Validation of a clinical assessment score for pediatric sleep-disordered breathing.

To validate a clinical assessment score for pediatric sleep‐disordered breathing.

Adenotonsillectomy for sleep-disordered breathing in a predominantly obese pediatric population

OBJECTIVES To determine the efficacy of adenotonsillectomy (T&A) in the treatment of pediatric sleep-disordered breathing, and to determine the natural history in untreated children. METHODS The charts of children aged 1-12 who underwent polysomnography (PSG) between 1/2006 and 6/2009 were reviewed to identify children with positive studies. Children not treated by T&A were recruited and matched by age, time since initial PSG, and apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) to children who underwent T&A. All participants were evaluated by a clinical assessment score (CAS-15), follow-up PSG, and the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). RESULTS Sixteen matched pairs completed the study. Ten (63%) T&A patients were overweight or obese compared with 14 (88%) untreated patients. There was a greater median improvement in AHI in the surgical group compared to the nonsurgical group (10.3 vs. 6.5, p=0.044). Although the T&A children were more likely to have a follow-up AHI<5 (81% vs. 69%) and <1 (44% vs. 25%), these results were not significant. The T&A group had significantly lower mean (SD) scores on the CAS-15 [8.9(6.1) vs. 29.4(16.2), p<0.001] and the CBCL total problem score [43.9(8.7) vs. 58.9(13.0), p<0.001]. Younger age at presentation (rho=-0.76, p<0.001), initial AHI (0.87, p<0.001), and initial AI (0.63, p=0.05) were correlated with change in AHI among T&A subjects. CONCLUSIONS T&A was more effective in reducing AHI than no surgery. Median AHI improved in the nonsurgical group, and 4/16 (25%) untreated patients were cured (AHI<1).

Relationship of symptoms with sleep-stage abnormalities in obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome.

Background Patients with obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) present with a variety of sleep-related symptoms. In polysomnography, sleep architecture is almost always abnormal, but it is not known which of the sleep-stage abnormalities are related to symptoms. Finding key sleep-stage abnormality that cause symptoms may be of therapeutic importance to alleviate symptoms. So far the mainstay of treatment is continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP)/bi-level positive airway pressure (BIPAP) therapy, but many patients are non-compliant to it. Correcting the sleep-stage abnormality that cause symptoms by pharmacotherapy may become an important adjunct to CPAP/BIPAP therapy. Methods A cross-sectional study. Adult subjects who attended a sleep laboratory for diagnostic polysomnography for a period of 1 month were recruited consecutively. OSAHS was diagnosed using American Academy of Sleep Medicine criteria. Subjects filled a questionnaire for symptoms prior to polysomnography. Results Thirty subjects, of whom 83.3% were obese, met diagnostic criteria, with males constituting 46.7% and females constituting 53%. Mean age was 53.40±11.60 years. Sleep architecture comprised N1 19.50±19.00%, N2 53.93±13.39%, N3 3.90±19.50%, and rapid eye movement 8.92±6.21%. Excessive fatigue or sleepiness, waking up tired, falling asleep during the day, trouble paying attention, snoring and insomnia were significantly related to decreased N3 sleep. Conclusions Most of the symptoms in OSAHS in adults are related to decreased stage N3 sleep. If confirmed by larger controlled studies, correcting N3 sleep deficiency by pharmacotherapy may become an important adjunct to CPAP/BIPAP therapy to alleviate symptoms.

A3 for Central Line-Associated Blood Stream Infections

Sikander Zulqarnain* Anton Dela Cruz Gem Snagg Raymonde Elysee Jacqueline Syrus and Samir Fahmy SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY C A T IO N , R E S E A R C H , A N D Q U A L IT Y IM P R O V E M E N T PURPOSE: An estimated 30,000 central line associated blood stream infections (CLABSIs) occur in U.S. Intensive Care Units (ICUs) each year. Patient mortality rates associated with CLABSI range from 12-25% and the cost of CLABSIs ranges from

Smoking cessation counselling: who does best — pulmonologists or GPs?

3,700 to

A 40 Year-Old Female with an Acute Onset Left Lateral Neck and Supraclavicular Swelling

36,000 per episode of care. To address this issue, we collaborated with hospital management to create a multidisciplinary team to enhance the care of patients with central venous catheters (CVCs) by using A3. A3 is a problem solving and continuous improvement approach first employed by Toyota and based on Edward Denning’s PDSA (Plan-Do-Study-Act).We implemented an A3 problem solving methodology in order to systematically reduce CLABSI among the medical and surgical ICUs.