Undiagnosed and/or untreated sleep apnea has been shown to increase the risk of post-op lung complications such as pneumonia. For this reason, we have our patients who have not been diagnosed with sleep apnea and have never been tested to complete an Epworth sleep apnea screening test.
For patients who have been diagnosed with sleep apnea, we also require compliance with CPAP (or whatever device was recommended at the time of testing). This means if you have a CPAP machine (or other device) we need you to use it! It also means if you were diagnosed with sleep apnea in the past but you do not have a CPAP, we will need to make arrangements for you to get one.
If a patient has been prescribed CPAP shows up for surgery and is found to be non-compliant, it is possible that anesthesia personnel will cancel the case, so this is an important step in the pathway to a safe, low-risk procedure!
