- With Mayo Clinic emeritus internist
Kenneth G. Berge, M.D.
read biographyclose windowBiography of
Kenneth G. Berge, M.D.
Kenneth G. Berge, M.D.
Dr. Kenneth Berge has been involved in Mayo Clinic's Web publications since they began in 1995, advising editors and the public throughout his tenure.
He develops content for the Ask a Specialist segment and helps plan and edit other content and design. Dr. Berge has also been an editor of CD-ROMs and books produced by Mayo Clinic.
Dr. Berge, board certified in internal medicine, has been with Mayo Clinic since 1955 and early on had a special research interest in cardiovascular risk factors, including cholesterol and hypertension. Dr. Berge served as a leader for a number of major National Institutes of Health clinical trials that established the fundamental roles for lifestyle modifications needed to prevent cardiovascular disease. Dr. Berge served in various capacities with the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. He was vice chairman of the steering committee for the Coronary Drug Project and chairman of the steering committee on Systolic Hypertension in the Elderly Program from 1984 to 1993.
He won the Teacher of the Year Hall of Fame Award in 1987 and was Mayo Clinic voting staff president in 1976. He is an emeritus professor of medicine at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine.
He became a fellow in the American College of Physicians in 1962 and was president of the Minnesota chapter of the American College of Physicians in 1981.
As a respected physician, researcher and teacher with more than 40 years of clinical experience, Dr. Berge, a native of Wahkon, Minn., brings a wealth of knowledge to the Web site. "My career as a primary care physician for more than 40 years has provided me with experience in communicating complex information to a wide variety of patients in a manner that they could understand. I also came to know their common concerns and questions," he says.
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Question
Obstructive sleep apnea and anesthesia: What are the risks?
Is it true that anesthesia isn't safe for people with obstructive sleep apnea?
Answer
from Kenneth G. Berge, M.D.
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) can cause significant complications during recovery from anesthesia. For this reason, it's important to tell your anesthesiologist that you have OSA before surgery so that he or she can take precautions to minimize the risks.
Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when the muscles in the back of your throat relax during sleep. When these muscles relax, your airway narrows or closes as you breathe in and your breathing is momentarily interrupted. This may reduce the amount of oxygen supplied to your brain. Your brain senses that you've stopped breathing and briefly rouses you from sleep so that you can reopen your airway.
General anesthesia can impair the function of airway muscles, resulting in more frequent episodes of interrupted breathing. In addition, residual effects from sedating pain medications and anesthesia make it harder for you to wake up and take a breath.
For these reasons, you may be monitored for a longer period after surgery than someone who doesn't have obstructive sleep apnea. Many people with OSA require assisted breathing (mechanical ventilation) until fully awake. If you have been prescribed a device that provides continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), make sure you bring it with you. The CPAP device can be used in the recovery room to help you to keep breathing normally.
When you return home after surgery, it's a good idea to arrange for someone to be with you during the initial period when you are recovering from anesthesia and surgery. If this person observes that you're having trouble breathing, he or she should wake you — or if that isn't effective, seek emergency medical help.
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