RxPG News Feed for RxPG News

Medical Research Health Special Topics World
  Home
 
   Health
 Aging
 Asian Health
 Events
 Fitness
 Food & Nutrition
 Happiness
 Men's Health
 Mental Health
 Occupational Health
 Parenting
 Public Health
 Sleep Hygiene
 Women's Health
 
   Healthcare
 Africa
 Australia
 Canada Healthcare
 China Healthcare
 India Healthcare
 New Zealand
 South Africa
 UK
 USA
 World Healthcare
 
   Latest Research
 Aging
 Alternative Medicine
 Anaethesia
 Biochemistry
 Biotechnology
 Cancer
 Cardiology
 Clinical Trials
 Cytology
 Dental
 Dermatology
 Embryology
 Endocrinology
 ENT
 Environment
 Epidemiology
 Gastroenterology
 Genetics
 Gynaecology
 Haematology
 Immunology
 Infectious Diseases
 Medicine
 Metabolism
 Microbiology
 Musculoskeletal
 Nephrology
 Neurosciences
 Obstetrics
 Ophthalmology
 Orthopedics
 Paediatrics
 Pathology
 Pharmacology
 Physiology
 Physiotherapy
 Psychiatry
  Anorexia Nervosa
  Anxiety
  Bulimia
  CFS
  Child Psychiatry
  Depression
  Forensic Psychiatry
  Learning-Disabilities
  Mood Disorders
  Neuropsychiatry
  Peri-Natal Psychiatry
  Personality Disorders
  Psychology
  Psychoses
  Psychotherapy
  Sleep Disorders
   Circardian Rhythm
  Substance Abuse
  Suicide
 Radiology
 Rheumatology
 Sports Medicine
 Surgery
 Toxicology
 Urology
 
   Medical News
 Awards & Prizes
 Epidemics
 Launch
 Opinion
 Professionals
 
   Special Topics
 Ethics
 Euthanasia
 Evolution
 Feature
 Odd Medical News
 Climate

Last Updated: Oct 11, 2012 - 10:22:56 PM
Sleep Disorders Channel

subscribe to Sleep Disorders newsletter
Latest Research : Psychiatry : Sleep Disorders

   EMAIL   |   PRINT
Risk Factors For Developing Complications From Sleep Apnea Surgery

Oct 17, 2006 - 2:30:00 PM , Reviewed by: Rashmi Yadav
“Apnea-hypopnea index, body mass index and medical comorbidity were each associated with serious complication; however, the low complication rate precluded demonstration of associations independent of each other. Concurrent retrolingual procedures were also associated with serious complication, but the cumulative risk of separate retrolingual procedures is unknown.”

 
[RxPG] Patients undergoing surgery to correct sleep apnea are more likely to have complications if their condition is severe, they have a high body mass index, they have other medical problems or they are undergoing certain other surgical procedures at the same time, according to a report in the October issue of Archives of Otolaryngology—Head & Neck Surgery, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

Individuals with sleep apnea repeatedly stop breathing during the night due to upper airway obstruction, according to background information in the article. Sleep apnea contributes to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, poor quality of life and death. A procedure known as uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP), during which surgeons remove the uvula and other soft tissues at the back of the throat to help clear the airway, is the most common operation performed to alleviate sleep apnea. About 1.6 percent of all patients undergoing such procedures have serious complications, including .2 percent who die within 30 days. Previous reports about the risk factors for complications have been conflicting.

Eric J. Kezirian, M.D., M.P.H., University of California, San Francisco, and colleagues studied 3,130 consecutive adults (97 percent men, average age 50) in patients who underwent UPPP between 1991 and 2001 at the United States Veterans Affairs medical centers. The researchers gathered data about participants’ surgeries and characteristics from medical records. Data on body mass index (BMI), other illnesses and the severity of sleep apnea was collected from medical charts for a smaller group of patients, including all 51 (1.6 percent) of the original group who had serious complications and 212 others who did not have serious complications but were the same sex and age, had the same number of procedures performed at the same time and had surgery the same year as those who did.

In the larger group of 3,130 patients, those who had more severe sleep apnea, who had additional non-nasal surgeries at the same time and had other medical conditions were more likely to have serious complications following surgery. For each additional illness besides sleep apnea that a patient had, his or her risk for complications almost doubled. In the smaller group of patients, more severe sleep apnea, higher body mass index and the presence of other illnesses were associated with a higher risk for complications when they were all considered together. However, based on the small number of participants with complications, the researchers could not determine if each was an risk factor on its own. Having retrolingual surgery (certain procedures involving the tongue, epiglottis or jaw) at the same time as UPPP was independently associated with having complications following the operation. Lowest oxygen saturation, a measure of how much oxygen red blood cells are carrying, also was not associated with complications.

“Apnea-hypopnea index [a measure of sleep apnea severity], body mass index and medical comorbidity [other illness] were each associated with serious complication; however, the low complication rate precluded demonstration of associations independent of each other,” the authors conclude. “Concurrent retrolingual procedures were also associated with serious complication, but the cumulative risk of separate retrolingual procedures is unknown.”



Publication: October issue of Archives of Otolaryngology—Head & Neck Surgery, one of the JAMA/Archives journals
On the web: Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2006;132:1091-1098 

Advertise in this space for $10 per month. Contact us today.


Related Sleep Disorders News
Sleep loss can cause testosterone levels to plummet
Snoring due to sleep apnea can damage brain severely
Meditation may be effective for treating insomnia
Caffeine may prevent risk taking after sleep deprivation
Surgical weight loss does not eliminate sleep apnea
Sleep disturbances among the elderly linked to suicide
Slow wave activity during sleep is lower in African-Americans
Reduced sleep quality can aggravate psychological conditions
Imagery rehearsal therapy improves sleep
Extended Shifts for Medical Interns Negatively Impact Patient Safety

Subscribe to Sleep Disorders Newsletter

Enter your email address:


 Feedback
For any corrections of factual information, to contact the editors or to send any medical news or health news press releases, use feedback form

Top of Page

 
Contact us

RxPG Online

Nerve

 

    Full Text RSS

© All rights reserved by RxPG Medical Solutions Private Limited (India)