Upper airway stimulation: Fewer complications, ED presentations, readmissions, and increased surgical success

Evaluate the rate of complications, readmissions, emergency department presentations, and surgical success rates amongst three standard surgical treatment options for obstructive sleep apnea: upper airway stimulation, transoral robotic surgery, and expansion sphincter pharyngoplasty.

Retrospective cohort.

Tertiary care center.

Patients were included who were aged ≥18 years old and underwent upper airway stimulation, transoral robotic surgery, or expansion sphincter pharyngoplasty between January 2011 and May 2020.

345 patients were identified: 58% (n = 201) underwent upper airway stimulation, 10% (n = 35) underwent transoral robotic surgery, and 32% (n = 109) patients underwent expansion sphincter pharyngoplasty. There were 22 emergency department presentations and 19 readmissions, most of which were experienced by patients receiving transoral robotic surgery (six emergencies, seven readmissions) and expansion sphincter pharyngoplasty (12 emergencies, 11 readmissions). Patients with upper airway stimulation had four emergencies and one readmission. Only 2% of the upper airway stimulation cohort had a complication, whereas this was 20% and 12% for the transoral robotic surgery and expansion sphincter pharyngoplasty cohorts, respectively. Patients experienced the highest surgical success rate with upper airway stimulation (69%), whereas patients who received transoral robotic surgery and expansion sphincter pharyngoplasty had success rates of 50% and 51%, respectively.

Treating obstructive sleep apnea with upper airway stimulation led to lower rates of complications, emergency department presentations, and readmissions in this series. In those for whom upper airway stimulation is appropriate, it may be more effective in successfully treating obstructive sleep apnea than transoral robotic surgery and expansion sphincter pharyngoplasty.