title: The effect of adenotonsillectomy on oxygen saturation in children with sleep disordered breathing.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the effect of adenotonsillectomy on oxygen saturation measured through nocturnal pulse oximetry in children with sleep disordered breathing.
  
  
  METHODS
  A pre- and post-intervention study was carried out using nocturnal pulse oximetry. The study involved 31 children who were suspected of having sleep disordered breathing and had been referred for adenotonsillectomy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 27 children completed the study. The mean age was 5.2 +/- 1.8 years, and 18 (66.7%) of them were male. Upon physical examination, 23 (85.2%) of the children presented class III or class IV hyperplasia of the palatine tonsils. There was significant improvement in the post-operative period over the pre-operative period in terms of the oxygen desaturation rate (OR = 0.65; 95% CI: 0.5-1.3 vs. OR = 1.63; 95% CI: 1.1-2.4; p < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Adenotonsillectomy significantly improved oxygen saturation, as measured through nocturnal pulse oximetry, in children with sleep disordered breathing.
authors.affiliation: Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, School of Medicine, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil. macjames@terra.com.br
authors.forename: Jaime Luís Freitas
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Arrarte
authors.forename: José Faibes
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Lubianca Neto
authors.forename: Gilberto Bueno
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Fischer
mesh_terms: D000233:Adenoidectomy / Q000379:methods*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010092:Oximetry / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood*; D014066:Palatine Tonsil / Q000473:pathology; D018579:Patient Selection; D011184:Postoperative Period; D011300:Preoperative Care; D020181:Sleep Apnea, Obstructive / Q000097:blood / Q000601:surgery*; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D014068:Tonsillectomy / Q000379:methods*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D010100:Oxygen