Effect of sleep surgery on blood pressure in adults with obstructive sleep apnea: A Systematic Review and meta-analysis

Abstract

This meta-analysis evaluates the effect of sleep surgery on blood pressure (BP) in adults with OSA. The study protocol was registered on PROSPERO (CRD42020154425). The PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases were independently searched by 2 authors up to March 2020. The keywords used were sleep apnea, OSA, sleep apnea syndromes, surgery, and BP. In 26 studies with 1218 patients (mean age: 46.2 years; 82% men), the mean AHI significantly decreased by 26.2 (95% confidence interval [CI], 21.2 to 31.1) events/hour after sleep surgery. Overall, sleep surgery resulted in a significant reduction in office systolic and diastolic BP by 5.6 mmHg (95% CI, 2.9 to 8.3) and 3.9 mmHg (95% CI, 1.8 to 6.0), respectively, in adults with OSA. According to subgroup analyses, differences in the office BP after sleep surgery were nonsignificant between regions (ie, western vs eastern countries), sample sizes, surgical procedures (ie, pharyngeal surgery vs other surgical procedures), and follow-up periods. Meta-regression analyses revealed that reductions in systolic and diastolic BP were positively correlated with the AHI reduction. In conclusion, sleep surgery significantly reduces BP and AHI in adults with OSA. The BP reduction degree after sleep surgery is positively correlated with the OSA improvement degree.

Keywords: Adult; Blood pressure; Meta-analysis; Sleep apnea syndromes; Surgery; Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty.