Complex Obstructive Sleep Apnea Program

Obstructive sleep apnea—obstructed breathing during sleep—can greatly impact your child’s quality of life. In our Complex Obstructive Sleep Apnea Program, we care for a unique group of children with severe or persistent obstructive sleep apnea due to a complex health condition, such as Down syndrome, craniofacial abnormality, neuromuscular disorders, or obesity. We also evaluate and treat children who have received care for sleep apnea in the past and continue to have their daily life impacted by the disease.

When obstructive sleep apnea is not resolved by removing large tonsils or adenoids, or by sleeping with a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine, your child could benefit from our innovative care that goes beyond typical treatments.

As the only program in California to provide multidisciplinary (many specialty) care in the same clinic, we offer hope through groundbreaking diagnostics and treatments for sleep apnea while coordinating care with other pediatric specialists for your child’s chronic health conditions. Our ultimate goal is to resolve your child’s obstructive sleep apnea and improve their overall health, well-being, and energy.

Why choose Stanford Medicine Children’s Health for complex obstructive sleep apnea?

• A unique combination of pulmonary, ENT, obesity, and oral care. Our multispecialty program brings together doctors from our Pulmonary, Asthma & Sleep Medicine Center, top-ranked on the West Coast (according to U.S. News & World Report), and our exceptional Pediatric Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery program in one clinic, making care convenient for you. Our care team also includes highly skilled specialists from our Pediatric Weight Clinic, with experts in obesity medicine, and Plastic & Reconstructive and Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery for advanced craniofacial, maxillofacial, and oral care for children with bony deformities and malformations. We provide both medical and surgical solutions for babies, children, and young adults, as well as lifestyle support for children who are obese.
• Coordinated care with several specialty programs. We ensure that your child receives tailored, exceptional care by collaborating with a wide range of specialists. We work closely with our Aerodigestive and Airway Reconstruction Center for children with complex airway conditions, our Cleft and Craniofacial Center for children with craniofacial malformations, and our Adolescent Bariatric Surgery team for teens with obesity.
• We go beyond the basics. In our Complex Obstructive Sleep Apnea Program, we look for more rare and complex causes for obstructive sleep apnea, including tongue collapse, airway collapse, supraglottic collapse (larynx closing on its own), septal deviation, craniofacial growth abnormalities, maxillary and/or mandibular underdevelopment, and other uncommon reasons. In this way, we offer solutions to families whose children have been treated for sleep apnea without success. With our obesity specialist expert, we also offer the latest approved treatments for obesity, to help decrease associated obstructive sleep apnea.
• We safely push boundaries for improved outcomes. We use advanced surgical methods and innovative technology to provide just the right care for your child. Our state-of-the-art intensive care unit empowers us to safely undertake complex surgeries, and we offer cutting-edge diagnostics to pinpoint the cause of your child’s complex sleep apnea.