Low daytime pulse oximetry reading is associated with nocturnal desaturation and obstructive sleep apnea in children with sickle cell anemia.

A retrospective medical record review was established to test the hypothesis that in children with sickle cell anemia (SCA), a daytime oxygen saturation (SpO(2)) </=94% is associated with nocturnal desaturation with or without obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Twenty children had a resting SpO(2) </=94% and an abnormal polysomnogram (PSG). Seven patients had OSA and thirteen patients had nocturnal desaturation. The average daytime SpO(2) correlated with the average nighttime SpO(2) (Spearman correlation coefficient = 0.453; P = 0.045). Our results indicate that in children with SCA, a daytime SpO(2) </=94% is a reasonable threshold to recommend a pulmonary evaluation, including a PSG. (c) 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.