[Obstructive laryngeal disease and obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome, a combination with serious peri-operative risk]

We present the case of a patient who was diagnosed with chronic bronchitis, obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome, and large Reinke laryngeal oedemas that were removed by transoral laser microsurgery. In the immediate post-operative period acute respiratory insufficiency occurred due to pharyngeal collapse that required emergency re-intubation, after which the patient was transferred to the ICU where mechanical ventilation was given for 18h. Subsequent progress was normal. We describe the combination of various risk-factors related to anaesthetic management and the importance of considering each one of them, especially the preoperative detection of the severity of obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome.