Acute Respiratory Failure Immediately Following Surgery for Morbid Obesity

Patients with sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome have a higher probability of presenting more postoperative complications, yet early treatment with continuous positive airway pressure can prevent them. We report the case of a patient who underwent surgery for morbid obesity and who developed acute respiratory failure in the immediate postoperative period, requiring readmission to the recovery unit. The patient's condition progressed favorably following treatment with bilevel positive airway pressure. It was subsequently confirmed that the patient suffered from sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome.