If I have Obstructive Sleep Apnea, will having a breathing tube during open-heart surgery cause complications?
March 28th, 2011
My son has obstructive sleep apnea and needs open-heart surgery to help get rid of the pressure in his lungs, I have heard that having a breathing tube in for the amount of time that the surgery is will cause complications when trying to remove it after…. is this information valid??
This is difficult to say. The endotracheal tube in and of itself will not cause problems related to his sleep apnea. What it sounds like is that they are concerned if he’ll be able to come off the ventilator after the surgery. You don’t say what kind of open heart surgery he’s having. If it’s a bypass it’s not likely to effect his lungs post op. If it is a valve they’re replacing, like the Mitral valve or the Aortic valve then, yes, it will help clear the Congestive heart failure. That will help his lungs function properly and increase his chances of coming off the ventilator greatly. Once he’s off the ventilator they take the endotracheal tube out almost immediately after.
Some people do get slight swelling of the throat and possibly the vocal cords. But this doesn’t happen often, especially when the tube is put in under OR conditions. I
If it is a valve they’re replacing this should help with the apnea. If he is overweight he must lose the excess if he’s going to have any chance of getting off the CPAP machine.
God bless you both and help him to a speedy recovery.
March 28th, 2011 at 4:44 am
I don’t see why it would be difficult when trying to remove it; while I’m sure you know this, the doctor would have better answers than the folks here on Yahoo would…
Prayers for your son, by the way.
References :
March 28th, 2011 at 4:54 am
This is difficult to say. The endotracheal tube in and of itself will not cause problems related to his sleep apnea. What it sounds like is that they are concerned if he’ll be able to come off the ventilator after the surgery. You don’t say what kind of open heart surgery he’s having. If it’s a bypass it’s not likely to effect his lungs post op. If it is a valve they’re replacing, like the Mitral valve or the Aortic valve then, yes, it will help clear the Congestive heart failure. That will help his lungs function properly and increase his chances of coming off the ventilator greatly. Once he’s off the ventilator they take the endotracheal tube out almost immediately after.
Some people do get slight swelling of the throat and possibly the vocal cords. But this doesn’t happen often, especially when the tube is put in under OR conditions. I
If it is a valve they’re replacing this should help with the apnea. If he is overweight he must lose the excess if he’s going to have any chance of getting off the CPAP machine.
God bless you both and help him to a speedy recovery.
References :