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Video

Sleep Medicine

(A1203) Analysis of Psychosocial Outcomes in Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea with and Without Surgical Intervention

Monday, October 13, 2025
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM EDT
Location: OTO EXPO, Posters

    Presenting Author(s)

  • Hani Samarah, Other

    Medical Student
    Thomas Jefferson University
    Little Rock, Arkansas, United States

    • Co-Author(s)

  • Jaehee Kim, BA

    Medical Student
    Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
    Cleveland, Ohio, United States

  • Leonard E. Estephan, MD

    Otolaryngology Resident
    Thomas Jefferson University
    Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

    • Senior Author(s)

  • Colin T. Huntley, MD

    Associate Professor
    Thomas Jefferson University
    Philadelphia, PA, United States

Disclosure(s):
Hani Samarah, Other: No relevant relationships to disclose.
Jaehee Kim, BA: No relevant relationships to disclose.


Introduction: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a prevalent disease associated with significant medical and psychosocial morbidity. Surgical interventions are utilized for patients who cannot tolerate or do not respond to continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). This study compares psychosocial outcomes including anxiety, depression, substance misuse, disordered eating, and overall survival between OSA patients with and without surgical intervention at 1-, 3-, and 5-years post-treatment.

Methods: Retrospective cohort study using data from the TriNetX US Collaborative Network. Adults (≥18 years) with OSA were stratified based on if they underwent OSA surgery or not. Propensity score matching balanced baseline characteristics (n=34,647 per cohort). Outcomes included anxiety, depression, substance misuse, disordered eating, suicide, and overall survival. Risk ratios (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) and Kaplan-Meier survival probabilities were calculated for 1-, 3-, and 5-years post-index.

Results: Surgical patients demonstrated lower risks of anxiety (RR: 0.81, 95% CI: 0.77-0.86, p< 0.0001) and depression (RR: 0.82, 95% CI: 0.81-0.91, p< 0.0001) at 1-year, with benefits persisting at 3-years (anxiety RR: 0.85, 95% CI: 0.82-0.89, p< 0.0001; depression RR: 0.91, 95% CI: 0.87-0.95, p< 0.0001) and 5-years (anxiety RR: 0.86, 95% CI: 0.83-0.89, p< 0.0001; depression RR: 0.94, 95% CI: 0.90-0.97, p=0.0009). Substance misuse was less common in the surgical cohort at 1-year (RR: 0.80, 95% CI: 0.74-0.87, p< 0.0001), 3-years (RR: 0.82, 95% CI: 0.77-0.88, p< 0.0001), and 5-years (RR: 0.82, 95% CI: 0.77-0.88, p< 0.0001). Disordered eating was reduced for surgical patients at all timepoints (p < 0.0001). Suicide risk was comparable, but Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed higher survival probabilities for surgical patients at 1-, 3-, and 5-years (p=0.0023, p=0.0084, p=0.0031).

Conclusions: Surgical OSA management is associated with improvements in psychosocial outcomes including anxiety, depression, substance misuse, disordered eating, and overall survival rates compared to patients not receiving surgery.