Annals of the American Thoracic Society
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Rigid bronchoscopy-guided (RBG) percutaneous tracheostomy has been used in patients with morbid obesity, prior neck surgery, distorted airway anatomy, and uncorrected coagulopathy where standard percutaneous dilational tracheostomy (PDT) is relatively contraindicated. ⋯ RBG-PDT is safe and effective in a population of high-risk patients who are otherwise not considered good candidates for standard PDT.
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Cardiomyopathy is a rare condition in children that is associated with high mortality. Although sleep-disordered breathing is prevalent, its frequency and patterns in children with cardiomyopathy are unknown. ⋯ Sleep-disordered breathing is common in children with cardiomyopathy. In our present study, 24% of participants exhibited primarily central sleep apnea. The severity of cardiac dysfunction, as measured by left ventricular end diastolic volume index and left ventricular end systolic volume index, is associated with central sleep apnea. Longitudinal research is necessary to better characterize sleep disorders and their impact on cardiac function in a large pediatric cardiomyopathy population.