Sleep Apnea Clearance before Surgeries
We all know that most people have to undergo serious medical surgeries and normally, prior tests for medical clearance has to be done to avoid complications for these medical procedures. This is a required prerequisite since physicians and patients want to make sure that surgeries to be performed actually solve a medical problem rather than aggravate it.
Sleep apnea has been included in this list and rightfully so. Most of us underrate the issue of sleep apnea and its consequences but just the same, it would be best to be on the safe side.
The test, called STOP test, is very simple containing just four yes/no questions and can be taken without the help of a physician. The questions are as follows: Do you snore loudly? Do you often feel tired, fatigued or sleepy during daytime? Has anyone observed you stop breathing during sleep? Do you have or are you being treated for high blood pressure?
If a patient answers “yes” to two questions, this means he/she is at high risk for sleep apnea, anesthesiologist Frances Chung, M.D. study lead author said, according to the Washington Post. “This patient may need to be monitored for oxygen saturation after surgery and may need more nursing care. Identifying patients with OSA is the first step in preventing postoperative complications. Untreated OSA patients are known to have a higher incidence of difficult intubation, postoperative complications, increased intensive care admissions and greater duration of hospital stay,” he added.
(Source) eFluxmedia
Tags: medical clearance, medical problem, medical procedures, sleep, Sleep Apnea
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