Sleep Disordered Breathing: Screening and Implications in Pediatric Patients
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Abstract
Children with diagnosed and undiagnosed sleep disordered breathing (SDB) may require incidental surgery under general anesthesia. Despite recommendations, only 37% of all children undergoing surgical procedures under general anesthesia are screened for SDB. The only tool specifically developed for, and repeatedly used in the pediatric population is the Sleeping, Trouble Breathing, Unrefreshed (STBUR) questionnaire. The aims of this scholarly project were to perform a needs assessment, evaluate the patients at the office of Pediatric Surgery P.A., and make evidence-based recommendations appropriate for those findings. The design was a prospective, quantitative needs assessment. The scholarly project methods included the implementation of the STBUR questionnaire to assess children presenting for surgery to Pediatric Surgery P.A., and a retrospective chart review for responses from primary caregivers regarding postoperative maladaptive behavior (POMB) in children that were screened for SDB. Sequential convenience sampling was used for subject recruitment. Descriptive and Inferential statistics were used to analyze the data at the end of the six-month time frame. None of the 83 participants screened positive for SDB or POMB; however, the minimum recommended sample size for statistical significance was not met and may be an implicating factor in the results of this project.