Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common sleep disturbance that can cause intermittent hypoxia, hypercapnia, and sleep structure disorders; the latter include prolonged sleep latency, shortened sleep duration, frequent wake-up, and disordered circadian rhythm. During the postoperative period, surgical stress, pain and the residual effects of sedatives/analgesics can aggravate the sleep disorder and physiological changes in OSA patients. The resulting consequence is increased incidence of postoperative complications.~High-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) therapy can improve the oxygenation of OSA patients by forming a certain positive pressure in the nasopharyngeal cavity. Previous studies showed that HFNC therapy can reduce respiratory events, improve oxygenation in patients with moderate to severe OSA.~Dexmedetomidine is a highly selective α2-adrenoceptor agonist with sedative, analgesic and anti-anxiety properties. Unlike other sedative agents, dexmedetomidine exerts its sedative effects through an endogenous sleep-promoting pathway, producing a state like non-rapid eye movement sleep without disturbing respiration. Our previous studies shows that dexmedetomidine supplemented analgesia can improve sleep quality and pain relief in patients after surgery.~The investigators hypothesize that, for patients at high-risk of OSA who are recovering from major non-cardiac surgery and receiving HFNC therapy, dexmedetomidine supplemented analgesia can improve sleep quality and postoperative recovery. The purpose of this pilot randomized controlled trial is to investigate the impact of dexmedetomidine supplemented analgesia on the sleep quality in high-risk OSA patients after major non-cardiac surgery.
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common sleep disturbance that can cause intermittent hypoxia, hypercapnia, and sleep structure disorders. The presence of OSA is associated with worse outcomes after surgery including increased incidence of complications. High-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) therapy can improve oxygenation of OSA patients by maintaining a certain positive pressure in the nasopharyngeal cavity. Previous studies showed that, dexmedetomidine supplemented analgesia can improve sleep quality and pain relief. The investigators hypothesize that, for high-risk OSA patients following major non-cardiac surgery with HFNC therapy, dexmedetomidine supplemented analgesia can improve sleep quality. The purpose of this pilot randomized controlled trial is to investigate the impact of dexmedetomidine supplemented analgesia on sleep quality in high-risk OSA patients after major non-cardiac surgery.