Sleep Apnea Surgery Treatment

WHAT IS OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA?

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a disorder in which breathing is repeatedly interrupted or decreased during sleep when muscles in the throat and tongue fail to keep the airway open despite efforts to breathe, preventing air to flow into the lungs and causing oxygen starvation.

When this occurs, sleep becomes a threat to life, the brain is required to momentarily awaken and breathing can be restored. In some individuals the brain has a very low tolerance to decreased airflow even if the airway is not intensely compromised, with resulting frequent arousals and sleep disruption.

Although all three types of apnea are different from each other certain symptoms are common to both OSA and central sleep apnea. An insight into the most common signs and symptoms will help in discovering the disorder:

• Loud snoring
• Irritation during sleep
• Gasping for air when sleeping
• Morning headache
• At times, there are episodes that person might stop breathing during breathing hours
• Experiencing dry mouth

The Sleep apnea surgery treatment in Jaipur is generally adopted in situations when other treatments for curing sleep apnea gets failed. But patients who have significant problems concerning the jaw structure, the surgery option is generally preferred. The different surgical procedures that can be adopted for the treatment include:

Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty: This is one of the procedures in which the tissues that are located in the rear and top of the mouth are surgically removed. Moreover, the removal of adenoids and tonsils are also removed at the same time. The surgery benefits by significantly stopping the vibrations and snoring that is caused due to the faulty throat structures.

Tracheostomy: This is a surgical treatment option to develop a new air passageway in case the person is suffering from serious conditions of sleep apnea which can be life-threatening. However, this treatment option is preferred in only extreme conditions where other treatment options are not delivering positive results. Under the procedure, the ENT surgeons try to improve the condition by inserting a plastic tube through the opening made in the neck which supports breathing function.

The Sleep apnea surgery treatment in Jaipur can provide the best results depending on the severity of the problems. In case the patient is experiencing mild cases of sleep apnea, significant lifestyle changes can provide useful results. This can include maintaining a healthy body weight and losing excess weight along with avoiding smoking that directly impacts the functioning of the lungs to breathe properly. Moreover, it is also recommended that the patient should get adequate treatment for nasal allergies that is also a major cause behind the occurrence of disorders like sleep apnea.

HOW DO I KNOW I HAVE OSA?

The gold standard for diagnosis is a Polysomnography (PSG), or, sleep study. This test is performed while the patient is asleep at a sleep laboratory, and monitors brain waves, blood oxygen levels, heart rate and breathing, as well as eye and leg movements. A home monitoring device may be a useful alternative for some patients under the guidance of a knowledgeable sleep professional.
However, the sleep test itself does not provide the location of the obstruction, so evaluation methods of the upper airway are necessary to identify potential sites of collapse that lead to OSA.

Nasopharyngoscopy is an office procedure in which a flexible fiberoptic endoscope is introduced through the nose and throat to observe anatomical structures that narrow the airway and compromise airflow and cause snoring.

Sleep Endoscopy is similar to Nasopharyngoscopy, however it is performed under mild sedation (with an hypnotic drug, such as propofol) and it is an outpatient procedure. The objective of this test is to reproduce what occurs to the patient’s upper airway in a sleep state, and identify structures and areas causing the obstruction.

Still under research protocols, imaging methods such as computadorized tomography scans (CTs), awake and sleep magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may provide useful information as well in select candidates. CTs are routinely used in the pre-operative evaluation of patients who undergo any surgery that involves the facial skeleton such as maxillomandibular advancement.
These tools should be used together to establish a diagnosis and guide the physician’s decision-making towards the appropriate treatment for each patient.

WHY TREAT MY OSA?
There are three main reasons why we treat OSA:
Social Factor:
Snoring is frequently a source of distress for both the patient and their bed partner at night.
Health Risks:
The drop in oxygen levels at night has been associated with an increased risk of high blood pressure, cardiac arrhythmia(s), and stroke. OSA has been described as causing insulin resistance, which may cause difficulty in glucose control in diabetic patients and achieving weight loss.
Neurocognitive Symptoms:
While it varies in individual patients and is subject to interaction with other ailments such as lack of sleep and psychological comorbidities, it is generally accepted that sleep fragmentation prevents the brain from having complete restorative sleep and may result in daytime sleepiness, and drowsiness, deficits in attention, concentration, memory, and executive functioning. Worsening mood symptoms and an increased risk of automobile accidents have also been described in association with OSA.