The purpose of the Society of Anesthesia and Sleep Medicine guideline on
preoperative screening and assessment of adult patients with
obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is to present recommendations based on the
available clinical evidence on the topic where possible. As very few
well-performed randomized studies in this field of perioperative care
are available, most of the recommendations were developed by experts in
the field through consensus processes involving utilization of evidence
grading to indicate the level of evidence upon which recommendations
were based. This guideline may not be appropriate for all clinical
situations and all patients. The decision whether to follow these
recommendations must be made by a responsible physician on an individual
basis. Protocols should be developed by individual institutions taking
into account the patients’ conditions, extent of interventions and
available resources.
This practice guideline is not intended to define
standards of care or represent absolute requirements for patient care.
The adherence to these guidelines cannot in any way guarantee successful
outcomes and is rather meant to help individuals and institutions
formulate plans to better deal with the challenges posed by
perioperative patients with OSA. These recommendations reflect the
current state of knowledge and its interpretation by a group of experts
in the field at the time of publication. While these guidelines will be
periodically updated, new information that becomes available between
updates should be taken into account. Deviations in practice from
guidelines may be justifiable and such deviations should not be
interpreted as a basis for claims of negligence.
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