Pregnancy and apnea

[clusterF]

So I have a question. I see a few patients referred through an OB group. Some have symptoms of OSA and it clearly affects the last few weeks of the pregnancy.
My question is how often are these patients tested. By the time the symptoms show up and the test is ordered, it can take some time for authorization, scheduling, results etc etc. By this point, the baby might already be born.

Is there a clinical guideline for this. A few of my patients with depression would really be helped because they aren't taking medications and poor sleep is not helping.

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[Shikima]

While I was in residency, I had several consulates for pregnancy and witnessed hypoxia with elements consistent with a sleep breathing disorder. My suggestion is to get them into a lab ASAP and treat them as if they have OHS..... more than likely, post delivery, she will need to continue with PAP therapy as there will be pressure on the chest cavity and extra deposits in the neck area from fluid (not for long) and adipose tissue deposits. There is research in this area over on pubmed. Does this help?

 

[clusterF]

It helps and it makes sense clinically but with insurance, scheduling with labs it seems like it takes a few weeks to get tested.
They should have a CPAP loaner program for pregnant women in the 3rd trimester.

 

[Shikima]

It helps and it makes sense clinically but with insurance, scheduling with labs it seems like it takes a few weeks to get tested.
They should have a CPAP loaner program for pregnant women in the 3rd trimester.

Some may need to continue with PAP therapy, even when they complete pregnancy with an uncomplicated delivery.