Evaluation and management of obstructive sleep apnea in adults hospitalized for medical care: an American Academy of Sleep Medicine systematic review, meta-analysis, and GRADE assessment.

Introduction: The purpose of this systematic review is to provide supporting evidence for a clinical practice guideline on management of obstructive sleep apnea in medically hospitalized adults.

Methods: The American Academy of Sleep Medicine commissioned a task force of experts in sleep medicine. A systematic review was conducted to identify randomized controlled trials and observational studies that addressed interventions for the management of obstructive sleep apnea in medically hospitalized adults. Statistical analyses were performed to determine the clinical meaningfulness of critical and important outcomes. Finally, the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) process was used to assess the evidence for making recommendations.

Results: The literature search resulted in 5,159 studies out of which 27 studies provided data suitable for statistical analyses. The task force provided a detailed summary of the evidence along with the certainty of evidence, the balance of benefits and harms, patient values and preferences, and resource use considerations.