Obstructive Sleep Apnea – The Not-So-Silent Killer

There is no one-fits-all treatment in OSA as the best treatment plan depends on the individual patient. In general, treatment of OSA can either be in the form of a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) or surgery. CPAP is a machine that forces air into the airway via a facemask, overcoming any physical airway obstruction, during sleep, therefore, delivering the necessary oxygen to the body. This is still considered the “Gold Standard” in treating OSA.

For a patient with obvious obstructive features in the airway like a broad soft palate, large tonsils or long uvula, surgery would be an option. This may include tonsillectomy, Cautery Assisted Palate Stiffening Operation (CAPSO), nasal surgery or even craniofacial surgery depending on the source of the problem. The effectiveness of surgery in OSA would be less in obese patients. A patient who is extremely obese (BMI of more than 40) will need to lose a significant amount of weight before any surgery could be considered. This can be done via strict diet on the advice of a dietician or bariatric surgery such as gastric banding or stapling. While undergoing such procedure and awaiting the desired results, a patient is usually put on CPAP to treat the sleep apnea before repeat assessment is done at a later time.