The goal of this study was to determine whether the preoperative diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is an independent risk factor for perioperative complications in patients undergoing nonotorhinolaryngologic outpatient surgical procedures. We used existing databases to identify 234 patients with polysomnography-confirmed OSA who had outpatient surgical procedures in the years 1997 through 2000. Control patients were matched for type of anesthesia, age, sex, body mass index, surgical procedure, and surgical date. Their perioperative medical records were reviewed. There was no significant difference in the intraoperative management of OSA and control patients, except that the laryngeal mask airway was less likely to be used in OSA patients. There was no significant difference in the rate of unplanned hospital admissions (23.9% versus 18.8%; odds ratio, 1.4; 95% confidence interval, 0.8-2.5) or other adverse events (2.1% versus 1.3%; odds ratio, 1.7; 95% confidence interval, 0.4-7.0) between OSA and non-OSA patients. Further, when admission did occur, it was generally unrelated to cardiac or respiratory events. In this retrospective analysis, the preoperative diagnosis of OSA was not a risk factor for either unanticipated hospital admission or for other adverse events among patients undergoing outpatient surgical procedures in a tertiary referral center.
Implications: In patients scheduled for outpatient surgery in a large academic practice, the diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea confirmed by polysomnography was not an independent risk factor for unanticipated hospital admission or for other adverse perioperative events.