Hypoglossal Nerve Stimulator Implantation Safe for OSA in Children With Down Syndrome

FRIDAY, Aug. 15, 2025 (HealthDay News) — For children aged younger than 13 years with Down syndrome (DS) and severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), hypoglossal nerve stimulator (HGNS) implantation is safe and effective, according to a study published online in the September issue of the International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology.

Minjee Kim, M.D., from Harvard Medical School in Boston, and colleagues conducted a retrospective cohort study at two academic institutions to examine the safety and efficacy of HGNS placement in children younger than 13 years of age with DS and severe OSA. The study included 29 children (median age, 10 years; 19 were male).

The researchers found that all children were safely implanted with no serious adverse events. One mild wound dehiscence occurred, which resolved with antibiotic ointment and pressure dressing; there were no adverse device effects. The median preop and postop obstructive apnea hypopnea index (OAHI) was 18.4 and 3.9, respectively. Twenty patients (95.2 percent) had an OAHI reduction of 50 percent or more at six months postop.

“This research has major implications, first being that the safety results can alleviate concerns about whether this procedure is possible in young children,” coauthors Christopher Hartnick, M.D., from Mass Eye and Ear in Boston, and Brian Skotko, M.D., from Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, said in a statement. “We also feel this research offers a message of hope to parents of young children with Down syndrome who have worried about their children’s sleep apnea.”

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