title: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative Medicine & Intensive Care Medicine, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria.
authors.forename: Ottokar
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Stundner
authors.forename: Mathias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Opperer
authors.forename: Stavros G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Memtsoudis
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000758:Anesthesia; D045422:Continuous Positive Airway Pressure; D006801:Humans; D059408:Pain Management; D010149:Postoperative Pain; D019990:Perioperative Care; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D020181:Sleep Apnea, Obstructive / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis*
keywords: acute pain management; anesthesia; obstructive sleep apnea; perioperative outcome; preoperative screening; regional anesthesia