Supplementary Material for: Supplemental Oxygen Treats Periodic Breathing without Effects on Sleep in Late-Preterm Infants

Background: The effect of supplemental oxygen on sleep has not been studied in preterm infants. Methods: We studied 18 stable late-preterm infants with observed periodic breathing at a median gestational age of 36 weeks. Polysomnography was performed on room air and on 25% oxygen-enriched ambient air. Results: Supplemental oxygen did not affect sleep stage distribution, sleep efficiency, the frequency of sleep stage transitions, the appearance of rapid-eye movement (REM) sleep periods, or the high number of spontaneous arousals. The percentage in periodic breathing out of total sleep time decreased from 10% (interquartile range [IQR] 5–9%) on room air to 1% (IQR 0–3%) (p p p p Conclusions: In late-preterm infants, supplemental oxygen effectively reduces periodic breathing and the number of oxygen desaturations while having no significant effect on sleep. The results support the importance of carotid body over-reactivity on the genesis of periodic breathing in preterm infants.