Obstructive sleep apnea affects complication rates following knee arthroscopy but use of continuous positive airway pressure is not protective against complications

Letter to the Editor of Journal of Otolaryngology regarding "Risk of diabetes in patients with sleep apnea: comparison of surgery versus CPAP in a long-term follow-up study"

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is associated with multiple chronic comorbidities with treatments including continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), upper airway surgery (UAS), and hypoglossal nerve stimulation (HNS). Given the complexity of the condition and multiple treatment options, there is an ongoing debate to determine the best management. O'Connor-Reina et al. recently published a paper titled "Risk of diabetes in patients with sleep apnea: comparison of surgery versus CPAP in a long-term follow-up study." In their study, the authors stated that OSA patients who received surgery had a 50% less chance of developing diabetes compared to patients who only received CPAP treatment. However, we would like to point out some limitations that warrant attention and caution interpretation of the findings by physicians and patients.

The effectiveness of positive airway pressure therapy in reducing postoperative adverse outcomes in surgical patients with obstructive sleep apnea: A systematic review and meta-analysis

IMPORTANCE

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is prevalent in surgical patients and is associated with an increased risk of adverse perioperative events.

STUDY OBJECTIVE

To determine the effectiveness of positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy in reducing the risk of postoperative complications in patients with OSA undergoing surgery.

DESIGN

Systematic review and meta-analysis searching Medline and other databases from inception to October 17, 2021. The search terms included: "positive airway pressure," "surgery," "post-operative," and "obstructive sleep apnea." The inclusion criteria were: 1) adult patients with OSA undergoing surgery; (2) patients using preoperative and/or postoperative PAP; (3) at least one postoperative outcome reported; (4) control group (patients with OSA undergoing surgery without preoperative and/or postoperative PAP therapy); and (5) English language articles.

PATIENTS

Twenty-seven studies included 30,514 OSA patients undergoing non-cardiac surgery and 837 OSA patients undergoing cardiac surgery.

INTERVENTION

PAP therapy MAIN RESULTS: In patients with OSA undergoing non-cardiac surgery, PAP therapy was associated with a decreased risk of postoperative respiratory complications (2.3% vs 3.6%; RR: 0.72, 95% CI: 0.51-1.00, asymptotic P = 0.05) and unplanned ICU admission (0.12% vs 4.1%; RR: 0.44, 95% CI: 0.19-0.99, asymptotic P = 0.05). No significant differences were found for all-cause complications (11.6% vs 14.4%; RR: 0.89, 95% CI: 0.74-1.06, P = 0.18), postoperative cardiac and neurological complications, in-hospital length of stay, and in-hospital mortality between the two groups. In patients with OSA undergoing cardiac surgery, PAP therapy was associated with decreased postoperative cardiac complications (33.7% vs 50%; RR: 0.63, 95% CI: 0.51-0.77, P < 0.0001), and postoperative atrial fibrillation (40.1% vs 66.7%; RR: 0.59, 95% CI 0.45-0.77, P < 0.0001).

CONCLUSION

In patients with OSA undergoing non-cardiac surgery, PAP therapy was associated with a 28% reduction in the risk of postoperative respiratory complications and 56% reduction in unplanned ICU admission. In patients with OSA undergoing cardiac surgery, PAP therapy decreased the risk of postoperative cardiac complications and atrial fibrillation by 37% and 41%, respectively.

Sleep Apnea and Postoperative Medical Complications and Health Care Expenditures Following Open Reduction and Internal Fixation of Bimalleolar Ankle Fractures

INTRODUCTION

Sleep Apnea (SA) is a common sleep disorder that increases postoperative morbidity. There is limited research on how SA influences outcomes following operative fixation of ankle fractures. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine whether patients who undergo surgical fixation for bimalleolar ankle fractures have higher rates of medical complications and health care expenditures.

METHODS

A retrospective review from January 1, 2005 to March 31, 2014 was conducted using the parts A and B Medicare Data from PearlDiver database. Patients with and without SA on the day of the primary open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) of their bimalleolar ankle fractures were queried using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision codes. Welch'st-tests were used to compare costs of care. A multivariate binomial logistic regression model was used to calculate the odds ratio (OR) of adverse events. A P-value <.001 was considered statistically significant.

RESULTS

There were 20 560 patients (SA = 3150; comparison cohort = 17 410) who underwent ORIF for bimalleolar ankle fractures during the study period. Sleep apnea patients were found to have significantly higher rates and odds of 90-day medical complications (21.42% vs 7.47%, OR: 3.11, P < .0001) and 90-day costs of care ($7213.12 vs $5415.79, P < .0001).

CONCLUSION

This research demonstrates an increased risk of postoperative medical complications and health care costs among patients with SA undergoing ORIF for bimalleolar ankle fractures.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Therapeutic, Level IV: Retrospective.

Operative Time as an Independent and Modifiable Risk Factor for Short-Term Complications After Knee Arthroscopy

PURPOSE

To determine whether operative time is an independent risk factor for 30-day complications after arthroscopic surgical procedures on the knee.

METHODS

The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database was queried between 2005 and 2016 for all arthroscopic knee procedures including lateral release, loose body removal, synovectomy, chondroplasty, microfracture, and meniscectomy. Cases with concomitant procedures were excluded. Correlations between operative time and adverse events were controlled for variables such as age, sex, body mass index, patient comorbidities, and procedure using a multivariate Poisson regression with robust error variance.

RESULTS

A total of 78,864 procedures met our inclusion and exclusion criteria. The mean age of patients was 51.0 ± 14.3 years; mean operative time, 31.2 ± 18.1 minutes; and mean body mass index, 31.0 ± 7.8. Arthroscopic lateral release (coefficient, 5.8; 95% confidence interval [CI], 4.8-6.8; P < .001), removal of loose bodies (coefficient, 4.2; 95% CI, 3.2-5.3; P < .001), synovectomy (coefficient, 1.8; 95% CI, 1.2-2.3; P < .001), and microfracture (coefficient, 6.5; 95% CI, 5.8-7.2; P < .001) had significantly greater durations of surgery in comparison with meniscectomy. The overall rate of adverse events was 1.24%. After we adjusted for demographic characteristics and the procedure, a 15-minute increase in operative duration was associated with an increased risk of transfusion (relative risk [RR], 1.5; 95% CI, 1.3-1.8; P < .001), death (RR, 1.6; 95% CI, 1.2-2.1; P = .005), dehiscence (RR, 1.6; 95% CI, 1.2-2.2; P = .002), surgical-site infection (RR, 1.3; 95% CI, 1.2-1.3; P = .001), sepsis (RR, 1.3; 95% CI, 1.2-1.4; P < .001), readmission (RR, 1.1; 95% CI, 1.1-1.2; P < .001), and extended length of stay (RR, 1.4; 95% CI, 1.3-1.4; P < .001).

CONCLUSIONS

Marginal increases in operative time are associated with an increased risk of adverse events such as surgical-site infection, sepsis, extended length of stay, and readmission. Efforts should be made to maximize surgical efficiency.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level IV, retrospective database study.