Epidemiology

Abstract

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a chronic condition characterized by at least five obstructive events (apneas and hypopneas) per hour during sleep due to an intermittent, complete, or partial, upper airway obstruction. OSA is related to various diseases determining an admission to intensive care unit (ICU) and poor outcome. Some articles have shown increased risk of poor outcomes and higher mortality and higher risk of admission to ICU in patients with hypercapnic acute respiratory failure with OSA compared to non-OSA patients. Thus, there is the necessity of earlier diagnosis for OSA patients in ICU and earlier treatment to improve the outcome. Their management in ICU must be individualized to increase the odds of discharge and to avoid the complications. The aim of this chapter is to describe the OSA in intensive care unit, its prevalence and what kind of complications OSA patients have..