Anaesthesia for Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome

Abstract

Sleep apnea syndrome has recently been paid attention because of its respiratory-circulatory disturbances such as snoring, hypoxemia, hypercarbia, arrhythmias, hyper-tension and cardiac arrest during sleep. The obstructive type occupies 85% to 95% of all patients with sleep apnea. We experienced anaesthesia for six patients with obstructive sleep apnea who were undergone uvuloplalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP).
The most important point in the anaesthetic management for the patients with sleep apnea might be careful observation of the respiratory status in the perioperative period. The nasopharyngeal obstruction, obesity and small chin should be carefully examined prior to the operation for the airway security. Sedatives and analgesics should be administered under careful observation in perioperative period. The inhalational anaesthetics are better of choice for these patients than intravenous anasthetics, because postoperative respiratory depression will possibly be accentuated by the intravenous drugs, or hidden central type factors will be actualized after operation. For the same reason mentioned above, non-depolarizing muscle relaxants should be avoided. Pulseoxymetry was useful for monitoring respiratory condition.