The relationship between the duration of obstructive respiratory events and outcomes of multilevel upper airway surgery in patients with obstructive sleep apnea

We aimed to examine whether the duration of respiratory events and related oximetric values are associated with outcomes of multilevel upper airway surgery in patients with moderate–severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). The records of patients with a preoperative apnea–hypopnea index (AHI) >15 events/h, who underwent uvulopharyngopalatoplasty plus tongue base suspension with or without septoplasty between 2012 and 2014, were reviewed retrospectively. If the postoperative 6th month AHI was 26.75 s, total apnea duration, lowest SaO 2 , mean SaO 2 , mean O 2 desaturation, and oxygen desaturation index, although only mean OAD > 26.75 s remained to be an independent predictor for unfavorable outcome after adjustment for other confounders in multivariate analysis [OR (95 % CI) = 3.92 (1.08–14.17), p = 0.041]. The current study suggests that OSA patients having longer OAD are in the risk of having surgical failure.