IMPORTANCETo date, no consensus exists regarding optimal perioperative care of patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) undergoing upper airway (UA) surgery. These patients are at risk related to anesthesia and postoperative analgesia, among other risks associated with difficult airway control, and may require intensified perioperative management.OBJECTIVE To provide a consensus-based guideline by reviewing available literature and collecting expert opinion during an international consensus meeting with experts from relevant speciliaties.
EVIDENCE REVIEWIn a consensus meeting conducted on April 4, 2018, a total of 47 questions covering preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative care were formulated by 12 international experts with extensive clinical experience in the field of UA surgery for OSA. Systematic literature searches were performed by an independent information specialist and 6 researchers according to the Oxford and GRADE systems, and 164 articles published on or before December 31, 2011, were included in the analysis. Two moderators chaired the meeting according to the Amsterdam Delphi Method, including iteration of literature conclusions, expert discussion, and voting rounds. Consensus was reached when there was 70% or more agreement among experts.FINDINGS Of 47 questions, 35 led to a recommendation or statement. The remaining 12 questions provided no additional information and were excluded in the judgment of experts. Consensus was reached for 32 recommendations. For 1 question there was less than 70% agreement among experts; therefore, consensus was not achieved. Highlights of these recommendations include (1) postoperative bleeding is a complication described for all types of UA surgery; (2) OSA is a relative risk factor for difficult mask ventilation and intubation, and plans for difficult airway management should be considered and implemented; (3) safe perioperative care should be provided, with aspects such as OSA severity, adherent use of positive airway pressure, type of surgery, and comorbidities taken into account; (4) although there is no direct evidence to date, in patients undergoing UA surgery, preoperative treatment with positive airway pressure may reduce the risk of postoperative airway complications; and (5) alternative pain management options perioperatively to reduce opioid use should be considered.CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE This consensus contains 35 recommendations and statements on the perioperative care of patients with OSA undergoing UA surgery and may be used as a guideline in daily practice.
Malignant middle cerebral artery (MCA) infarction is a devastating condition leading to early death in nearly 80% of cases due to the rapid rise of intracranial pressure despite maximum medical management of the ischaemic brain oedema. 1 Decompressive craniectomy (DC) has been proposed to prevent brain herniation in malignant MCA infarction, but it remains controversial in the absence of randomised controlled trials and because of the fear of a severe residual disability after surgery. 1-4 We present herein the results of a quality of life assessment using patient and proxy versions of the Stroke Impact Scale (SIS) in eight patients 12-30 months after craniectomy for malignant MCA infarcts.
PurposeThe Sleep Position Trainer (SPT) is a new option for treating patients with positional obstructive sleep apnea (POSA). This study investigated long-term efficacy, adherence, and quality of life during use of the SPT device compared with oral appliance therapy (OAT) in patients with POSA.MethodsThis prospective, multicenter trial randomized patients with mild to moderate POSA (apnea-hypopnea index [AHI] 5–30/h) to SPT or OAT. Polysomnography was performed at baseline and after 3 and 12 months’ follow-up. The primary endpoint was OSA severity; adherence, quality of life, and adverse events were also assessed.ResultsNinety-nine patients were randomized and 58 completed the study (29 in each group). Median AHI in the SPT group decreased from 13.2/h at baseline to 7.1/h after 12 months (P < 0.001); corresponding values in the OAT group were 13.4/h and 5.0/h (P < 0.001), with no significant between-group difference (P = 1.000). Improvements throughout the study were maintained at 12 months. Long-term median adherence was also similar in the two treatment groups; the proportion of patients who used their device for ≥ 4 h for 5 days in a week was 100% in the SPT group and 97.0% in the OAT group (P = 0.598).ConclusionsThe efficacy of SPT therapy was maintained over 12 months and was comparable to that of OAT in patients with mild to moderate POSA. Adherence was relatively high, and similar in the two groups.Trial registration:
www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT02045576).Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1007/s11325-017-1568-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
The results of this study indicate that additional PT in a complex OSA patient population with residual POSA after surgery can increase overall therapeutic effectiveness by improving the median MDA from 39.5 % (effect of surgery alone) to 65.6 % (effect of combining surgery and PT).
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