Monitoring and Nursing for Children with Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome in the Recovery Room After General Anesthesia

Background: Preschool children with obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) experience a potentially lethal sleep disorder disease. Early surgical resection of OSAHS is critical for children’s growth and development. Tonsil adenoidectomy is an essential treatment technique for OSAHS. However, laryngeal trauma caused by surgery leads to agitation due to pain during recovery, accompanied by other symptoms such as unstable vital signs and postoperative anxiety. Little research has been done on the treatment and care of postoperative agitation and respiratory complications in children with OSAHS. Therefore, exploring a better-personalized care method is essential for reducing the incidence of respiratory complications during anesthesia recovery in children with OSAHS and the smooth recovery of the child. Objectives: The study aimed to investigate the respiratory complications and agitation of childhood OSAHS in the anesthesia recovery period after surgery and suitable nursing care methods. Methods: A total of 200 children with OSAHS were randomly divided into the routine care group (Group A, n = 100) and the personalized nursing group (Group B, n = 100). Personalized nursing included postoperative bleeding care, psychological care, infusion care, and pain care. Patients’ demographic and clinical data were collected. A CO2 laser-assisted modified uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP) was performed after the induction of general anesthesia. Children were extubated and transferred to the recovery room after the surgery. The nurses closely monitored the children’s agitation, oxygen saturation, and spontaneous breathing every 15 min within one hour in the recovery room. The respiratory frequency and amplitude, ECG changes, blood pressure, hospitalization time, and economic costs were recorded. Results: The incidences of agitation and respiratory obstruction were significantly lower in Group B than in Group A in the recovery room (P 0.05). The hospitalization time and expenses of Group B were significantly lower than those of Group A (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Personalized nursing care during postoperative anesthesia recovery can reduce the incidence of agitation and respiratory obstruction, lower blood pressure and heart rate, and accelerate postoperative recovery in children with OSAHS. Our study discovered a suitable nursing method for OSAHS children after general anesthesia to improve patients’ recovery and reduce economic costs.