Postoperative complications in obstructive sleep apnea.

Study Objectives: This study was conducted to determine whether postoperative complications are increased in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and to study the impact of the severity of OSA and preoperative use of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) on the postoperative outcome.

Design And Setting: This study is retrospective in nature and was undertaken at the VA Medical Center.

Participants And Methods: Three hundred seventy patients who had undergone both a major surgical procedure and a sleep study from 2000 to 2010 were identified.