Surgery for adult patients with obstructive sleep apnoea: A review for general practitioners

Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is a complex disease process that involves collapse of the upper airway during sleep and subsequent reduction or cessation of airflow. Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is the primary treatment for OSA and is the recommended first-line treatment for patients with moderate-to-severe forms of the disease. However, some patients are unable to tolerate CPAP or are unwilling to accept it as a form of permanent management. In these cases, surgical management aimed at addressing anatomical obstruction may be useful and warranted.

This article presents an overview of the surgical options available for OSA. The review also describes a useful approach for selecting appropriate patients for surgery.

On the basis of an OSA model that accounts for observed increased risk of stroke, cardiovascular disease and motor vehicle accidents, there is evidence to support that surgery is beneficial and cost-effective for patients with severe OSA who are intolerant of CPAP. There are many surgical options available for OSA.