The Evaluation and Management of Sleep Disordered Breathing During Perioperative Period

Abstract

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a syndrome defined frequently by decrease in arterial oxygen saturation, repeated upper airway obstruction episodes, increases in sympathetic output and tone, and repetitive arousals during sleep. OSA is the most common form of sleep-disordered breathing. In the United States, it has been estimated that 4% of middle aged males and 2% of middle aged females have OSA. Nevertheless the majority of patients who affect from OSA are undiagnosed and untreated. All these evidences imply that a prominent portion of OSA patients who undergo surgery will not be diagnosed and that the physicians must screen patients suspected of having sleep-disordered breathing to customize the anesthetic care and start necessary evaluations and therapy.