Morbidly obese patient with obstructive sleep apnoea for major spine surgery: An anaesthetic challenge

• Main Authors: Shruti Redhu, Prabhakar Suman Prakash, Virendra Jain, Hari Hara Dash
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2016-01-01
• Series: Indian Journal of Anaesthesia
• Subjects: Continuous positive airway pressure; obese; obstructive sleep apnoea
• Online Access: http://www.ijaweb.org/article.asp?issn=0019-5049;year=2016;volume=60;issue=6;spage=420;epage=423;aulast=Redhu

Morbidly obese patients with clinical features of obstructive sleep apnoea can present a myriad of challenges to the anaesthesiologists which must be addressed to minimise the perioperative risks. Initiation of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy early in the pre- and post-operative period along with appropriate anaesthetic planning is of paramount importance in such patients. This case report emphasises the usefulness of CPAP therapy, even for a short duration, to minimise morbidity, improve recovery and hasten early discharge from the hospital after major surgery.