Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Adult Patients: Considerations for Anesthesia and Acute Pain Management

Abstract

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) represents a challenge in the perioperative period for both physicians and the health care system alike. A number of studies have associated OSA with increased risk for postoperative complications. This is of particular concern in the face of this disease remaining vastly underdiagnosed. In this context, current guidelines and established concepts such as the use of continuous positive airway pressure or the level of postoperative monitoring, lack strong scientific evidence. Other interventions such as the use neuraxial/regional anesthesia may however offer added benefit. This review aims to address considerations for physicians in charge of OSA patients in the perioperative setting and to give an outlook for current and future research on this topic.

KEYWORDS:

• acute pain management
• anesthesia
• obstructive sleep apnea
• perioperative outcome
• preoperative screening
• regional anesthesia

Financial & competing interests disclosure

SG Memtsoudis was funded by the Anna Maria and Stephen Keller Career Development Award, New York, NY, USA. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

Additional information

Funding

SG Memtsoudis was funded by the Anna Maria and Stephen Keller Career Development Award, New York, NY, USA. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed. No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.