OSA-brachial plexus block-shoulder surgery

greetings cpapers
wondering if anyone has had shoulder surgery using a brachial plexus block?
I'm headed off for shoulder surgery march 21st.
I have severe sleep apnea with centrals.
My AHIs are less than 5 while using my cpap.
I understand that by using a brachial plexus block during surgery allows the anesthesiologist to use drugs that have less of a negative effect on OSA.
If you have any knowledge or experience with this, please respond.
thank you!

evan

I had it done last summer when I had to have my broken wrist surgically pinned.
I think mine was supraclavicular. They gave me a bit of the "I don't care what you do to me drug"..used ultrasound to find the nerve and the injection was completely a non issue. I was aware it was being done but didn't feel it. A bit more "I don't care what you do drug (Versed I think and maybe something else mixed in) and don't remember the surgery at all. They said I spent the entire surgery time trying to convince the doctor to tell my husband it was okay for me to mow the yard straight away. Boy would that have been stupid...those pins hurt like the devil every time I even moved.

Post surgery..the entire left arm was completely dead weight. Lasted pretty much 24 hours.
Wore a sling during that time.

The anesthesiologist did the procedure. He was aware of the OSA and if for some reason they had to use general anesthesia I had been told ahead of time to have my cpap machine in my room with a family member already having been told how to set it up if needed. They said unlikely that I would need it unless I had to have general anesthesia and slept a lot with it. I didn't need the general and there was never any need for the cpap machine.
Oxygen levels are monitored continuously pretty much until time to go home.

The Versed and other drugs given to make the "I don't care what you do to me cocktail" don't have the impact on the respiratory system that general anesthesia does.
I was a little apprehensive about the actual injection into the nerve (I don't like needles) but it was really weird. I totally remember him doing it and I remember that I thought "gee, this didn't hurt at all".

thanks pugsy...glad it worked out for you.
My surgery is going to involve general anesthesia.
The shoulder surgery is normally an outpatient procedure, but with my severe OSA they will only do it in a hospital with an overnight stay.
I have been using nasal pillows, but I am wondering if I should just bring my full face mask and increase my pressure, just to be sure that the cpap is effective once out of the operating room?

evan

You are going to get a general and the nerve block? I thought nerve block only.
Oh well...same story.

My OSA is also "severe" category (over 50 AHI) but the OSA wasn't the reason for the nerve block only. They were prepared to due general if I ended up need open reduction and plates on the fractures. I was lucky that general wasn't needed but everyone was prepared just in case.
Shoulder surgery will be more invasive than what I had.

I don't own a full face mask. So I had my usual available. You might take both...just in case but I would start out using the one that I am most comfortable with.
You will have an O2 finger tip monitor on anyway.

thanks again
evan