Combined local-propofol anesthesia with noninvasive positive pressure ventilation in a vasectomy patient with sleep apnea syndrome

Safety of Non-Operating Room Anesthesia With Propofol Sedation in Three Pediatric Patients With Central Sleep Apnea

Children with central sleep apnea may require sedation for procedures, including brain imaging as part of the evaluation of apnea. However, the safety of deep sedation without a protected airway is not known in this patient population. In this case series, we present 3 children with central sleep apnea who were sedated with propofol for brain imaging in a non-operating room setting. All 3 did well with no complications; those with a home oxygen requirement were on oxygen during the procedure but none experienced apnea, desaturation, or respiratory distress. While obstructive sleep apnea is a known contraindication to deep sedation with propofol, it may be safe in pediatric patients with central sleep apnea. Deep sedation may be a good option for these patients, thereby avoiding the need for general anesthesia and placement of an advanced airway.

Impact of concomitant medications on obstructive sleep apnoea

Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is characterized by repeated episodes of apnoea and hypopnoea during sleep. Little is known about the potential impact of therapy drugs on the underlying respiratory disorder. Any influence should be taken into account and appropriate action taken, including drug withdrawal if necessary. Here, we review drugs in terms of their possible impact on OSA; drugs which (1) may worsen OSA; (2) are unlikely to have an impact on OSA; (3) those for which data are scarce or contradictory; and (4) drugs with a potentially improving effect. The level of evidence is ranked according to three grades: A - randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with high statistical power; B - RCTs with lower power, non-randomized comparative studies and observational studies; C - retrospective studies and case reports. Our review enabled us to propose clinical recommendations. Briefly, agents worsening OSA or inducing weight gain, that must be avoided, are clearly identified. Drugs such as 'Z drugs' and sodium oxybate should be used with caution as the literature contains conflicting results. Finally, larger trials are needed to clarify the potential positive impact of certain drugs on OSA. In the meantime, some, such as diuretics or other antihypertensive medications, are helpful in reducing OSA-associated cardiovascular morbidity.

[Non-invasive mechanical ventilation in the pre- and intraoperative period and difficult airway]

Non-invasive mechanical ventilation is a method of ventilatory assistance aimed at increasing alveolar ventilation, thus achieving, in selected subjects, the avoidance of endotracheal intubation and invasive mechanical ventilation, with the consequent improvement in survival. There has been a systematic review and study of the technical, clinical experiences, and recommendations concerning the application of non-invasive mechanical ventilation in the pre- and intraoperative period. The use of prophylactic non-invasive mechanical ventilation before surgery that involves significant alterations in the ventilatory function may decrease the incidence of postoperative respiratory complications. Its intraoperative use will mainly depend on the type of surgery, type of anaesthetic technique, and the clinical status of the patient. Its use allows greater anaesthetic depth without deterioration of oxygenation and ventilation of patients.

Risk of sedation for diagnostic esophagogastroduodenoscopy in obstructive sleep apnea patients

AIM

To investigate whether patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are at risk of sedation-related complications during diagnostic esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD).

METHODS

A prospective study was performed in consecutive patients with OSA, who were confirmed with full-night polysomnography between July 2010 and April 2011. The occurrence of cardiopulmonary complications related to sedation during diagnostic EGD was compared between OSA and control groups.

RESULTS

During the study period, 31 patients with OSA and 65 controls were enrolled. Compared with the control group, a higher dosage of midazolam was administered (P = 0.000) and a higher proportion of deep sedation was performed (P = 0.024) in the OSA group. However, all adverse events, including sedation failure, paradoxical responses, snoring or apnea, hypoxia, hypotension, oxygen or flumazenil administration, and other adverse events were not different between the two groups (all P > 0.1). Patients with OSA were not predisposed to hypoxia with multivariate logistic regression analysis (P = 0.068).

CONCLUSION

In patients with OSA, this limited sized study did not disclose an increased risk of cardiopulmonary complications during diagnostic EGD under sedation.

Epidural anesthesia and non-invasive ventilation for radical retropubic prostatectomy in two obese patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

We report two cases of anesthesia for radical retropubic prostatectomy (RRP) in obese-chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients using the combination of epidural anesthesia and non-invasive ventilation (NIV). This technique avoided intubation, general anesthesia and perioperative pulmonary complications.

A systematic review of the effects of sedatives and anesthetics in patients with obstructive sleep apnea

The objective of this review is to determine the effects of perioperative sedatives and anesthetics in surgical patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) on respiratory events, medication requirements, hemodynamics, pain, emergence, and hospital stay. We searched The Cochrane CENTRAL Register of Controlled Trials, Medline, Embase, and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews from 1950 to June 2010 for relevant articles. All prospective and retrospective studies were eligible for inclusion if the effects of perioperative administration of sedation and anesthetics on medication requirements, pain, emergence, hemodynamics, respiratory events, and length of hospital stay in OSA patients were reported. The search strategy yielded 18 studies of 1467 patients. Of these, 456 patients were documented as having OSA. Few adverse respiratory effects were reported. Eight out of 700 (1.14%) patients undergoing middle ear surgery with midazolam and fentanyl had impaired upper airway patency and were retrospectively diagnosed as having OSA by polysomnography. Also, intraoperative snoring causing uvular edema in the postoperative period was described in an OSA patient undergoing upper limb surgery when propofol was administered with midazolam and fentanyl for sedation. A decrease in oxygen saturation in the postoperative period was described with propofol and isoflurane in 21 OSA patients undergoing uvulo-palato-pharyngoplasty and tonsillectomy surgery (P<0.05). Perioperative alpha 2 agonists were shown to decrease the use of anesthetics (P<0.05), analgesics (P=0.008) and anti-hypertensives (P<0.001) in OSA patients. Contradictory reports regarding emergence occurred with intraoperative dexmedetomidine. Intraoperative opioids decreased the analgesic consumption (P=0.03) and pain scores (P<0.05) in the postoperative period. There was limited data on the length of hospital stay. There were few adverse effects reported when patients with known OSA underwent elective surgery with the currently available sedatives and anesthetics. Adverse events were reported with midazolam. However, the quality and number of patients in the studies were limited. There is a need for further trials with large numbers and uniform reporting of outcomes.