Pre-and post-operative respiratory assessment of acromegalics with sleep apnea - Bedside oximetric study for transsphenoidal approach

Purpose Although routine mechanical nasal packing after transsphenoidal surgery (TS) is thought to increase respiratory disorders during sleep, there has been little in the literature about the pre-and post-operative airway assessment of acromegalics with sleep apnea. (SA) We describe 4 acromegalic patients with SA, who underwent transsphenoidal surgery. Methods and cases The patients were all men, aged from 47 to 59 years. The pre-and post-operative sleep study consisted with a computer calculated oximetry parameter of oxygen desaturation index (ODI), which was defined as the number/hour of oxygen desaturation episodes exceeding 4% from the base line (normal range<15). The postoperative (postop.) sleep study was carried out from the Ist postop. day to the 8th day, for 1 to 8 days, varying for each patient. Results Only the worst postop. result is shown. Patient 1 had 2 operations, 2 years apart. ODI was 39.6 before the Ist operation and 45.9 postop.. In the second operation ODI was 21.8 preoperatively (preop.) and 57.9 postop.. Preop. and postop. ODI was 18.1 and 22.2 in patient 2, 21.6 and 22.5 in patient 3 and 45.5 and 18.9 in patient 4, respectively. ODI of patient 4 was 39.6, 3 weeks later. Conclusion Our data showed that the postop. oxymetric study commonly showed worse results in acromegalics with nasal packing. The better result of patient 4 was probably due to a postop. sleepless state. REM sleep usually increases in the first several postop. days, when cardiopulmonary complications are more likely to occur. Since acromegalics with severe SA and postop. nasal packing may more readily suffer from cardiopulmonary complications, postoperative meticulous respiratory monitoring and care should be mandatory.