Drug-induced sleep endoscopy with target-controlled infusion using propofol and monitored depth of sedation to determine treatment strategies in obstructive sleep apnea

摘要

Background Drug-induced sleep endoscopy (DISE) has become an important diagnostic examination tool in the treatment decision process for surgical therapies in the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Currently, there is a variety of regimes for the performance of DISE, which renders comparison and assessment across results difficult. It remains unclear how the different regimes influence the findings of the examination and the resulting conclusions and treatment recommendations. This study aimed to investigate the correlation between increasing levels of sedation (i. e., light, medium, and deep) induced by propofol using a target-controlled infusion (TCI) pump, with the obstruction patterns at the levels of the velum, oropharynx, tongue base, and epiglottis (i. e., VOTE classification). A second goal was the establishment of a sufficient sedation level to enable a reliable decision regarding treatment recommendations.