Is the supine position associated with loss of airway patency in unconscious trauma patients? A systematic review and meta-analysis

Table 4 Studies reporting Respiratory Disturbance Index (RDI)

Study (Year)	Patients	Study details	Results	Favors lateral	Notes
Country	Patients	Study details	Results	Favors lateral	Notes
*Adults with cervical spine cord injury (CSCI)*
McEvoy *et al.* [42] (1995) Australia	42 adults with existing CSCI (46% of the identified candidates in a region)	Observational sleep study of RDI in supine vs. other sleeping positions.	RDI (events/h), mean:	+	p < 0.0005
			Non-supine sleeping positions: 15.3		No data for lateral position per se.
			Supine position: 23.6
*Children with possible obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)*
Pereira *et al.* [44] (2005) USA	60 children (under 3 years), referred because of possible OSA	Observational data from previous sleep study.	RDI (events/h), mean:	+	p = 0.02
			Non-supine sleeping positions: 7.2		No data for lateral position per se.
			Supine position: 18.5		No data for lateral position per se.
*Adults with stroke*
Turkington *et al.* [43] (2002) UK	120 stroke patients investigated more than 72 h after onset	Observational study of RDI in different sleeping positions.	RDI (events/h), mean:	+	p < 0.0001
			Left lateral position: 14; Right lateral: 12		Numbers for left and right lateral are not reported in text or table, but estimated from figure.
			Supine: 29

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