The Society of Anesthesia and Sleep Medicine (SASM) is an alliance between anesthesiology and sleep medicine established in 2010. The SASM is focused on optimizing perioperative care of patients with a variety of different sleep disorders. Collaborative communication, research, and education on the identification of sleep disorders and perioperative risks are the goals of SASM. Early endeavors were aimed at patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), as there was accumulating evidence of increased perioperative morbidity and mortality in this patient population. An SASM task force involving experts from anesthesiology, sleep medicine, and
perioperative medicine worked to create evidence-based consensus guidelines for perioperative management of patients with OSA.1,2 Educational materials for both anesthesia teams and perioperative providers were developed and disseminated along with these guidelines and were made available on the SASM website.

Other sleep disorders can impact the perioperative period and morbidity, including sleep related movement disorders such as restless leg syndrome and hypersomnia disorders.3,4 Understanding how these disorders are managed and their interaction with anesthetic techniques and medications can help mitigate risks during the perioperative period.

As part of an ongoing collaboration to improve perioperative care of patients with sleep disorders, SASM has encouraged the integration of sleep medicine into anesthesiology residency curriculum. A recent survey study by SASM members identified that there remain significant gaps in the knowledge of residents and advanced practice providers of the associated risks and the appropriate perioperative management of patients with sleep disorders, such as OSA.5,6 As anesthesiologists increasingly become involved in caring for patients throughout the perioperative period, knowledge of the risks of patients with sleep disorders is needed to optimize outcomes and limit complications. Although sleep medicine has been a subspecialty pathway for anesthesiologists since 2011, a recent survey revealed that most anesthesiologists have limited awareness of this pathway nor do they receive significant education in sleep disorders.7

As sleep and anesthesia may share some common mechanisms that lead to unconsciousness, an understanding of these mechanisms may support both sleep medicine and anesthesia, which is one of the collaborative aims of SASM. The mission of SASM includes promotion of clinical and epidemiological studies determining the associations between sleep disorder breathing and associated perioperative risk. Additional goals include the stimulation of research examining the relationships in respiratory, neurophysiological, neuropsychological, and neuropharmacological function between anesthesia and sleep. Greater understanding of the implications of sleep disorders, sleep loss in the hospital, and clinical outcomes can likely improve clinical care beyond just the perioperative environment. Recent evidence has noted increasing costs and health care utilization required for management of patients with sleep disorder, further emphasizing the importance of the SASM efforts.

Current SASM projects include collaborative efforts with Society of Critical Care Anesthesiologists and the Society of Ambulatory Anesthesia to create evidence-based postoperative guidelines for patients with OSA. The communications committee of SASM has created several educational podcasts, including “How to publish a manuscript,” “Dual credentialing in sleep and anesthesia,” and “Weight loss medications in OSA”.

There is an upcoming opportunity for interested anesthesiologists to learn more about sleep medicine. Our upcoming annual one-day meeting on October 10th, in conjunction with American Society of Anesthesiologists meeting in San Antonio, will focus on Current and New Frontiers in Perioperative Care and Treatment in Sleep Medicine.11 As sleep disorders become more prevalent and the perioperative role of anesthesiologists grows, learning what is new in this area can benefit our patients. It is our hope that many of our colleagues who are already attending the ASA Annual Meeting in San Antonio will use this opportunity to join us for our meeting of the SASM.