High-Flow Nasal Oxygen in Patient With Obstructive Sleep Apnea Undergoing Awake Craniotomy: A Case Report

Patients with obstructive sleep apnea are frequently considered unsuitable candidates for awake craniotomy due to anticipated problems with oxygenation, ventilation, and a potentially difficult airway. At present, only a handful of such accounts exist in the literature. Our report describes the novel use of high-flow nasal oxygen therapy for a patient with moderate obstructive sleep apnea who underwent an awake craniotomy under deep sedation. The intraoperative application of high-flow nasal oxygen therapy achieved satisfactory oxygenation, maintained the partial carbon dioxide pressure within a reasonable range even during periods of deep sedation, permitted responsive patient monitoring during mapping, and provided excellent patient and surgeon satisfaction.