Zeitschrift für Schlafstörungen: Behandlung und Pflege

Heavy Issue: Clarifying AHI Elevation after Contemporary Airway Surgery for OSA � The MACHO Graph

Stuart MacKay and SueEllen Holmes

Heavy Issue: Clarifying AHI Elevation after Contemporary Airway Surgery for OSA – The MACHO Graph

Contemporary multi-level airway surgery for adult obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) has been criticised on the grounds of disease recrudescence several years post-operatively. An increase in the AHI of patients who have undergone surgical intervention is viewed as an argument against effectiveness, regardless of improvements in quality of life and other outcomes. Patients who have undergone tailored airway surgery for OSA over a period of 7 years in my clinic have all been recommended 12 month and 36 month follow up in addition to immediate post-operative assessment (10 days and 30- 42 days), as well as post-operative polysomnography (90-120 days).