Why a sleep study?

I had sleep apnea and was on a cpap before surgery. I was told to bring it to the hospital for surgery and recovery. Somehow, they forgot to hook it up when I was in the OR, and I stopped breathing when they started the anesthesia- it took almost 2 hours to get me stable enough to do the sleeve.

THAT is why they check everybody.

I don't understand how you need to breathe in surgery. Don't you have a tube to make you breathe? I had abdominoplasty 5 years ago after a big weight loss which was almost 4 hours long and no pro-op testing was done. Where I'm going for RNY he said it only takes about 45 minutes. It just doesn't make sense. He also said tha for anyone who already uses a CPAP, you have already had a sleep study and so don't need one. So it is required by this hospital for everyone. Maybe I should just wait until next week and find out.

a friend of mine had VSG and has severe sleep apnea (that he doesn't treat at all).  While bringing him out of anesthesia, his oxygen level dropped so low that they had to put him back under, but he was already waking up and started fighting him.  He had his surgery at one of the Barix Clinics, and they had to knock him out and rush him to the closest hospital where he spent 2 days in ICU in a drug induced coma while they got him stabilized.

Wouldn't you rather have the study "just in case"? 

It's entirely possible that you didn't have pre-op testing because you weighed less at the time. It could be a completely different ballgame for patients who are heavier.

Yes, you are intubated during surgery so breathing is all taken care of. It's after the patient has been extubated that things can get dicey.

Sleep apnea is a co morbidity of obesity.  Different insurance programs require co morbid diagnosis, some more than one, to pay for WLS. I would think they would check all co morbidities to make sure you qualify other than BMI.  Hope this helps.  If you have apnea, a cPap machine is nice to have in recovery.  

I just went along for the ride and did what I had to do to have surgery.  I found out I had sleep apnea during the sleep study, got a CPAP and used it for about 5 months.  At about 2 months post op i wasn't able to sleep with it anymore because the pressure was too high.  I don't know if my apnea has been cured, but a pressure of 8 is just way too high for me.  I guess I'll find out when I go for my follow up coming up shortly.

i don't know that anyone here will be able to answer why, but it's a common requirement and we most have to do it to have surgery.  I suggest you ask your surgeon, that will be the best place for you to start. 

You can adjust the pressure on your own-- I did for mine as my breathing got better. I just googled how to do it. Usually it's pressing and holding buttons while the machine turns on. 

Oooh, I'll have to Google it tonight for my machine.  

Also, a lot of the machines can be set up to go through intervals as needed. Mine was originally set on 13. 2 weeks after my surgery that was too much pressure. My doctor changed it to start out at 4 and if I needed more pressure the machine went up to the pressure I needed for that night. I don't understand why they don't set it up that way in the beginning.