We recommend the preoperative assessment by clinical evaluation, ECG, and polysomnography. For patients with cardiac or pulmonary histories and/or ECG abnormalities, we recommend echocardiography, spirometry, and blood gases.

Sleep and respiration data from two French medical high altitude expeditions (Annapurna 4,800 m and Mt Sajama 6,542 m) are presented. Difficulties in maintaining sleep and a SWS decrease were found with periodic breathing (PB) during both non-REM and REM sleep. Extent of PB varied considerably among subjects and was not correlated to the number of arousals but to the intercurrent wakefulness duration. There was a positive correlation between the time spent in PB and the individual hypoxic ventilatory drive. The relation between PB, nocturnal desaturation, and mountain sickness intensity are discussed. Acclimatization decreased the latency toward PB and improved sleep. Hypnotic benzodiazepine intake (loprazolam 1 mg) did not worsen either SWS depression or apneas and allowed normal sleep reappearance after acclimatization.

Acetazolamide, the first efficient pharmacologic treatment of chronic mountain sickness without adverse effects, reduces hypoventilation, which may be accentuated during sleep, and blunts erythropoiesis. Its low cost may allow wide development with a considerable positive impact on public health in high-altitude regions.