A study from the Department of Anesthesia, Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, recently concluded that the diagnosis of OSA, and prescription of CPAP therapy, were associated with a reduction in postoperative cardiovascular complications. Despite limitations in the data, researchers believe that the results could be used “to justify and inform large efficacy trials of perioperative continuous positive airway pressure therapy in OSA patients.”
According to the study titled “A matched cohort study of postoperative outcomes in obstructive sleep apnea: could preoperative diagnosis and treatment prevent complications?“, authors investigated whether preoperative diagnosis and prescription of CPAP therapy reduces these risks. The matched cohort analysis of polysomnography data and Manitoban health administrative data (1987 to 2008) examined postoperative outcomes in adult OSA patients up to 5 years before (undiagnosed OSA, n = 1,571), and any time after (diagnosed OSA, n = 2,640) polysomnography and prescription of continuous positive airway pressure therapy for a new diagnosis of OSA, were compared with controls at low risk of having sleep apnea (n = 16,277).
