Is It Necessary For Me To Undergo Obstructive Sleep Apnea Surgery or Not?

Trying to decide whether or not you should consider undergoing obstructive sleep apnea surgery is a big decision and one that should not be taken lightly.

It is significant to keep in mind that obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a serious sleep disorder that can give rise to other serious health problems such as high blood pressure, heart failure, irregular heart rhythms, pulmonary hypertension coronary artery disease, and a higher incidence of stroke.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea can lead to

• Excessive tiredness during the daytime
• Inattention
• Problems with memory
• Depression
• Family and work related problems

Before making a final decision about obstructive sleep apnea surgery it is significant to take a number of key points into consideration.

Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP)

First of all continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is one of the most effective sleep apnea treatments is and it is a very successful treatment choice for many patients. You should try using CPAP first before considering sleep apnea surgery.

In fact most doctors and sleep experts will insist upon it. If you have a obstruction in your throat that cannot be reversed with any other form of sleep apnea treatment you might consider sleep apnea surgery as a viable option to correct the problem. This would be true in the case of a patient who had tonsils that were very big.

Those who find themselves at a terribly high risk for developing other health related complications from sleep apnea might also make a good candidate for sleep apnea surgery.

Tracheostomy

A tracheostomy is often a “last resort” surgery for patients with severe sleep apnea who find nothing else has worked. This form of surgery has a very success rate but also has its share off physical and psychological complications.

Some people suffer infections while others become very self-conscious about the appearance of their throat and their speech pattern. After exhausting other sleep apnea treatment options and surgery seems to be the right course of action for you to take, and then consider less drastic forms of surgery that don’t wreck havoc with your appearance.

UPPP

Some types of sleep apnea surgery, such as uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP) require that the patient still use continuous positive airway pressure afterwards. Research has shown that only forty to sixty percent off patients who have UPPP surgery notice an improvement in their sleep apnea symptoms.

To return to a look at CPAP, it really is a worthwhile sleep apnea treatment option to take into account. CPAP is particularly advantageous in decreasing the amount of fatigue a patient feels during the daytime, in particular for those who suffer from sleep apnea that is classified as moderate to severe.

Research studies into CPAP have found that it plays a role in improving blood pressure levels both during the daytime and at night during sleep. However studies also show that CPAP is not as helpful for those who only suffer a mild case of it.

In that case lifestyle changes such as quitting smoking and losing weight should be the first to be undertaken. Patients who choose to go the CPAP route must schedule visits with their doctor often in order to have adjustments made.