Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41535229›Full record

ArticleClinical otolaryngology : official journal of ENT-UK ; official journal of Netherlands Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology & Cervico-Facial Surgery2026

Is Surgical Treatment for Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Infants and Toddlers Safe? A Retrospective Comparative Analysis.

Daniel Levi, Daniel Yafit, Aviad Sapir, Yotam Heilig, Tomer Kerman, Oriya Damri, Inbal Golan-Tripto, Daniel Michael Kaplan, Oren Ziv

Abstract readComparative Study
In one paragraph

Article in Clinical otolaryngology : official journal of ENT-UK ; official journal of Netherlands Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology & Cervico-Facial Surgery, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Daniel LeviDepartment of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Soroka University Medical Center, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel.
Daniel YafitDepartment of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Soroka University Medical Center, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel.
Aviad SapirDepartment of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Soroka University Medical Center, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel.
Yotam HeiligDepartment of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Soroka University Medical Center, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel.ORCID 0009-0003-9685-582X
Tomer KermanClinical Research Center, Soroka University Medical Center and Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel.
Oriya DamriDepartment of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Soroka University Medical Center, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel.
Inbal Golan-TriptoPediatric Pulmonary Unit, Saban Children's Hospital, Soroka University Medical Center, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel.
Daniel Michael KaplanDepartment of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Soroka University Medical Center, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel.
Oren ZivDepartment of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Soroka University Medical Center, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel.ORCID 0000-0003-3286-9248

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveTo assess if surgery for Obstructive Sleep Apnea Disorder (OSAD) is safe for infants and toddlers.

methodsRetrospective cohort study of paediatric patients undergoing OSA surgery; partial or complete tonsillectomy with adenoidectomy, tonsillectomy without adenoidectomy and adenoidectomy. Patients were divided into three groups: infants (≤ 1 year), toddlers (1-2 years) and control (children ≥ 2 years). The study measured outcomes such as paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) admissions, length of hospital stay (LOS), emergency room (ER) visits within 2 weeks of surgery, fever, dehydration, bleeding and the need for reoperation.

resultsA total of 419 paediatric patients were included: 61 infants (14.5%), 147 toddlers (35.1%) and 211 controls (50.4%). Adenoidectomy was the most common procedure for infants (75%), followed by toddlers (52%) and controls (27%). The LOS was significantly longer in the infant group (p < 0.001). PICU admissions were higher in infants compared to the control group (p < 0.001). However, after adjusting for the type of surgery, no statistical difference was found. Additionally, there were no significant differences in the relative risk of ER visits, fever, or bleeding between the groups. A total of 60 patients (14.3%) in the cohort underwent reoperations, with higher rates in toddlers compared to infants and controls (25.2%, 16.4% and 6.2%, respectively, p < 0.001). The most common revision surgery for the control group was adenoidectomy (8/13, 61.5%), while for toddlers and infants, the most common revision surgery was adenoidectomy + tonsillectomy (22/37, 59.45% and 5/10, 50%, respectively). However, after adjusting for the type of surgery, no statistical difference was found.

conclusionOSA surgery in children aged ≤ 2 years is generally safe but carries risks, including longer hospital stays. The higher rate of reoperations in this age group highlights the need for longer follow-up and parental education about the recurrence of clinical symptoms.

Indexed as

AdenoidectomySleep Apnea, ObstructiveTonsillectomyChild, PreschoolFemaleHumansInfantLength of StayMaleRetrospective StudiesTreatment OutcomeadenoidectomycomplicationinfantsOSAtoddlerstonsillectomy

Identifiers

PMID41535229
PMCPMC13050810

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.