Incidence of Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Pregnancy

Obstructive sleep apnea is a condition characterized by obstruction of the upper airways and episodes of apnea and hypopnea during sleep. It is associated with significant adverse health effects. The incidence of obstructive sleep apnea in the general female population is approximately 2% but the incidence of obstructive sleep apnea in pregnancy is unknown. There is some evidence that pregnancy precipitates or at least exacerbates this condition and that there may be a relationship between intrauterine fetal growth retardation and maternal preeclampsia. In addition, there are several anesthetic implications that are concern for the patient with obstructive sleep apnea. These include: exquisite sensitivity to all central nervous system depressant drugs and the potential for upper airway obstruction or apnea with even minimal drug doses; difficult mask ventilation; difficult intubation; arterial hypoxemia; arterial hypercarbia; polycythemia; hypertension; pulmonary hypertension and cardiac failure. All of these conditions pose significant anesthetic risk for the patient, and this risk may be increased further by pregnancy.