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Respiratory Disorders (Expert Forum)
HARD DECISION Obstructive sleep aponea
Answered by
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HARD DECISION Obstructive sleep aponea
by parrot, Jul 18, 2004 12:00AM
My daughter recentley had a sleep study. Her oxygen levels were between 94% and 92% dropping ocasionaly to 87%. Adenoids have been removed.Do you think this is very seriouse and warrant a tracheostomy. Thank you very much.
Doctor's Answer
by National Jewish, Jul 21, 2004 12:00AM
, Jul 21, 2004 12:00AM
Obstructive sleep apnea is a condition in which the airway does not fully open during sleep. This causes breathing to stop temporarily while sleeping for up to a minute at a time. This may happen several hundred times a night. Each time this happens it is an episode of apnea. This could cause your daughter to feel quite sleepy during the day. It is possible that she is aware of this because she wakes herself up gasping for air. It is more common that the spouse notices first. Snoring is what often alerts people to the problem.
A nighttime fall in oxygen level to 87% is low. The obstructive sleep apnea needs to be treated. You did not mention your daughter’s age. In babies it is likely for enlarged tonsils and/or adenoids to be a cause of obstructive sleep apnea. If her adenoids were removed after the sleep study this may have taken care of her problem.
The most common and effective treatment is to use a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) device during sleep. This is a machine that delivers air pressure into the lungs to keep the airways open while sleeping. Your daughter may also need oxygen through the CPAP device. Surgery for obstructive sleep apnea should be considered a last resort, only after a vigorous trial of (CPAP) has failed. It is very rare that a tracheostomy is needed for obstructive sleep apnea. Please read our Obstructive Sleep Apnea MedFact at http://www.nationaljewish.org/medfacts/sleep_apnea_treating.html for more information.
A nighttime fall in oxygen level to 87% is low. The obstructive sleep apnea needs to be treated. You did not mention your daughter’s age. In babies it is likely for enlarged tonsils and/or adenoids to be a cause of obstructive sleep apnea. If her adenoids were removed after the sleep study this may have taken care of her problem.
The most common and effective treatment is to use a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) device during sleep. This is a machine that delivers air pressure into the lungs to keep the airways open while sleeping. Your daughter may also need oxygen through the CPAP device. Surgery for obstructive sleep apnea should be considered a last resort, only after a vigorous trial of (CPAP) has failed. It is very rare that a tracheostomy is needed for obstructive sleep apnea. Please read our Obstructive Sleep Apnea MedFact at http://www.nationaljewish.org/medfacts/sleep_apnea_treating.html for more information.
Was the idea of a tracheostomy yours or her physicians? Can you give me alittle more history on your daughter? What warented the sleep study and why were her adenoids removed.
Andy, RRT, CPFT
Thank you Ann.