The first clinical guideline from the American College of Chest Physicians outlines when pregnant patients should be screened, treated, and reevaluated for obstructive sleep apnea.
Pregnancy can make you really sleepy. It can even make you snore. But when does that become more than just a normal part of pregnancy?
The American College of Chest Physicians says those symptoms could be signs of obstructive sleep apnea—a condition that often goes overlooked during pregnancy.
Now, the group has released its first clinical guideline on obstructive sleep apnea during pregnancy, giving healthcare providers recommendations on when to screen, treat, and reevaluate patients.
The lead author says, “All too often, symptoms during pregnancy are dismissed as frivolous or temporary, but the reality is that disordered breathing can have serious consequences both to the parent and the fetus.”
Consequences include poor fetal growth, preterm birth, longer hospital stays for newborns, and a greater need for neonatal intensive care.
The guideline recommends screening all pregnant patients for sleep-disordered breathing, and suggests treatment for those diagnosed with OSA who stop breathing or have severely shallow breathing five to 15 times per hour or more, and have at least one of the following specific complications:
· high blood pressure
· obesity
· gestational diabetes
· history of stroke
Experts also recommend reevaluating patients after delivery, because sleep apnea doesn't always go away once pregnancy ends.
Source: CHEST
Author Affiliations: Harvard Medical School, American College of Chest Physicians, Duke University School of Medicine, Harbor-U.C.L.A. Medical Center, Yale University, Brown University, Careggi Hospital, University of Illinois, East Virginia Medical School, University of Florida, McGill University, University of Texas, Baylor College of Medicine, Queensland University
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