Obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome: What the anesthesiologist should know

Obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS) is a rather common sleep disorder andconstitutes a risk or an aggravating factor for various underlying diseases. OSAS ischaracterised by repeated upper airway collapse during sleep causing fragmentedsleep, hypoxemia and hypercapnia. It may also cause considerable changes in intrathoracicpressure and an increase in sympathetic nervous activity, which representthe basis of associated pathologies such as arterial hypertension, ischaemic heartdisease, diabetes mellitus, stroke and sudden death [1]. Moreover, there is a wellestablishedassociation between OSAS and postoperative complications [2, 3].Nevertheless, a significant proportion of patients affected by OSAS undergo surgerywithout diagnosis and, consequently, without therapy [4]. Therefore, it is crucial forthe anaesthesiologist to identify patients at risk of OSAS before surgery for a correctdefinition of a perioperative strategy to reduce the risk of perioperative complication.This process should be done independently and regardless of whether thepatient undergoes general or locoregional anaesthesia.