Perioperative Care and Medication-related Hypoventilation

Cumulative evidence supports the association of adverse postoperative outcomes with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and obesity hypoventilation syndrome (OHS). Although current guidelines recommend preoperative screening for OSA and OHS, the best perioperative management pathways remain unknown. Interventions attempting to prevent complications in the postoperative period largely are consensus based and focused on enhanced monitoring, conservative measures, and specific OSA therapies, such as positive airway pressure. Until further research is available to improve the quality and strength of these recommendations, patients with known or suspected OSA and OHS should be considered at higher risk for perioperative cardiopulmonary complications.