Risk of sedation for diagnostic esophagogastroduodenoscopy in obstructive sleep apnea patients

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

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.

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).

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