Risk of obstructive sleep apnea among health workers: results of a screening in a large Italian University Hospital

PURPOSE

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common respiratory sleep disorder, related to increased mortality, poor quality of life, and higher risk of work accidents and injuries. Studies on the risk of OSA (rOSA) among health workers (HW) are scant. The aims of this study were to investigate this issue in a large University Hospital and to assess the effectiveness of a screening program.

METHODS

The STOP-BANG questionnaire (SBQ) was sent via e-mail to the 5031 HW employed at the University Hospital of Verona. HW who completed the SBQ were classified at low, moderate, and high rOSA. HW at high rOSA were invited to undergo nocturnal polygraphy. The determinants of rOSA were studied by non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis test, Pearson's chi-squared, and multinomial logistic model.

RESULTS

Of 5031 HW, 1564 (31.1%) completed the online questionnaire. Responders with low, moderate, and high rOSA were 72.7%, 13.7%, and 13.6%. Male gender, older age, and higher body mass index (BMI) were significant predictors of high rOSA, as expected. Physicians had the lowest probability of being in the high-risk category. Polygraphy was performed in 64 subjects. The positive predictive value of the self-administered SBQ was 68.8% (95%C.I. 55.9-79.8%) but raised to 96.9% (95%C.I. 89.2-99.6%) when re-administered by medical staff.

CONCLUSION

SBQ showed its effectiveness as a screening tool in detecting undiagnosed OSA in HW. Systematic screening for OSA in work settings could allow early diagnosis and treatment, reducing short- and long-term health effects of OSA.

[Evaluation of the risk of obstructive sleep apnea in patients awaiting general anesthesia in Burkina Faso]

INTRODUCTION

General anaesthesia and surgery increase morbidity and mortality in patients with obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) who are not known to have OSAHS and therefore not treated before surgery. The objective of this study is to evaluate the risk of OSAHS using the STOP-BANG questionnaire (SBQ) in patients undergoing general anaesthesia in Burkina Faso.

MATERIAL AND METHOD

This is a cross-sectional study concerning patients having received pre-anaesthetic consultation from 1st July 2020 to 30th June 2021. Risk of OSAHS is considered "medium to high" when the risk of obstructive sleep apnea is medium or high on SBQ.

RESULTS

Our population consisted in 599 persons. A medium to high risk of OSAHS was found in 11.18%. The ASA score and the Mallampati scale were independently associated with moderate to high risk of OSAHS (P<0.001; P<0.001). ASA score of I and Mallampati class of I decreased the risk of OSAHS by 17 and 45% respectively (P=0.012; P=0.031).

CONCLUSION

The risk of OSAHS in this population is comparable to that of the general population. Confirmation of OSAHS by ventilatory polygraphy or polysomnography would help to achieve further precision.

Preoperative STOP-BANG questionnaire to predict difficult airway in undiagnosed obstructive sleep apnea patients undergoing elective gynecological surgeries under general endotracheal anesthesia: A prospective observational study

Background

STOP-BANG questionnaire is an established tool for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) screening. Its utility in predicting difficult airway has not been evaluated. We intend to assess difficulty in airway management and associated perioperative complications in patients with undiagnosed OSA using the STOP-BANG questionnaire.

Materials and Methods

We performed a prospective observational study on 250 patients with the American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status Class I-II, aged 18-65 years STOP-BANG score were recorded. Occurrences of difficult mask ventilation (DMV), laryngoscopy, and intubation were assessed using mask ventilation grade, intubation difficulty score intubation difficult score (IDS), and modified Cormack-Lehane grading during induction of anesthesia. Hypoxic events, hemodynamic disturbances, laryngospasm, and bronchospasm were also recorded.

Results

Overall, 250 patients completed the study (Group H: n = 102, with STOP-BANG questionnaire ≥3 and Group L: n = 148, with STOP-BANG criteria < 3). A total of 67 (26.8%) cases of DMV and 63 (25.2%) cases of difficult tracheal intubation (DIT) were encountered overall. The proportion of patients with DMV during induction was 59.8% in Group H versus 4.05% in Group L (P < 0.001). A higher incidence of difficult intubation was observed in Group H (56.9% vs. 11.5%, P < 0.001). More patients in Group H had airway complications such as bleeding and injury to the posterior pharyngeal wall or teeth (P < 0.001). Complications such as hypoxia, hypertension, and tachycardia were observed to be higher in Group H (P < 0.001).

Conclusion

STOP-BANG questionnaire is an effective bedside preoperative tool that helps in identifying unanticipated difficult airway.

Sleep quality in women with diabetes in pregnancy: a single-center retrospective study

PURPOSE

Sleep quality is an important indicator of individual quality of life, which not only affects people's mental health but is also closely related to the occurrence of many diseases. Sleep disorders associated with diabetes in pregnancy can greatly endanger the health of both mothers and babies, and their hazards are strongly associated with blood glucose levels. This study explored the quality of sleep and sleep disorders in pregnant women with diabetes.

METHODS

From June 2020 to July 2021, a total of 693 patients diagnosed with diabetes during pregnancy in Gansu Provincial Maternal and Child Health Hospital were used as the experiment group, including 626 patients with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and 67 patients with pregestational diabetes mellitus (PGDM). At the same time, 709 women not having diabetes were randomly selected as the control group. To obtain the general situation of the participants, the participants were surveyed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and the STOP-BANG (S, Snoring; T, Tiredness; O, Observed apnea; P, high blood Pressure; B, Body mass index > 35 kg/ m2; A, Age > 50 years; N, Neck circumference > 40 cm; G, male Gender) questionnaire. The differences in sleep quality and obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) were analyzed between the experiment group and the control group by using chi-square and t-test, and the clinical features and related factors of sleep disorder were analyzed.

RESULTS

Compared with the control group, the age, pre-pregnancy weight, body mass index (BMI), and neck circumference were larger in the experimental group (P < 0.05). The experimental group had higher PSQI scores for sleep quality, time to fall asleep score, sleep duration, sleep efficiency, sleep disorder, and daytime dysfunction than the control group (all P < 0.001). Specific analysis of the clinical features of sleep disorders indicated that the experimental group scored higher than the control group (P < 0.05). The analysis of the types of daytime dysfunction showed that the experiment group scored higher in terms of frequently feeling sleepy and lack of energy to do things than the control group (P < 0.05). Analysis of STOP-BANG scores indicated that the proportion of patients with GDM or PGDM having fatigue, hypertension, BMI > 35 kg/m2, and neck circumference > 40 cm was higher than that in the control group (P < 0.05). According to regression analysis, sleep quality of patients with GDM was significantly impacted by the increases in age (OR: 1.243, CI:1.197-1.290), neck circumference (OR: 1.350, CI: 1.234-1.476), PSQI score (OR: 2.124, CI:1.656-2.724), and sleep efficiency score (OR: 3.083, CI:1.534-6.195), whereas that of patients with PGDM was impacted by age (OR: 1.191, CI:1.086-1.305), neck circumference (OR: 1.981, CI: 1.469-2.673), and PSQI score (OR: 7.835, CI: 2.383-25.761).

CONCLUSIONS

Pregnant women with diabetes had poorer sleep quality and a higher risk of developing OSAHS than those without diabetes. There may be some link between sleep quality and the onset of diabetic.

Association between Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Chronic Kidney Disease According to Sex, Long Working Hours: The Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2019-2020)

This study aimed to investigate whether obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is associated with an increased risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and to perform subgroup analysis by sex and working hours. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 8157 subjects who participated in the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES). The adults completed the STOP-BANG score to measure their risk of OSA, and blood and urine samples were collected to ascertain the severity of CKD based on the estimated glomerular filtration rate and urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio. Multivariate logistic regression was used for complex sample analysis. After fully adjusting for the confounding variables, the high-risk OSA group showed a significantly higher risk of developing albuminuria and CKD than the low-risk group, particularly among men. Odds ratio (OR) 1.72, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.13-2.6 and (OR 1.67, 95% CI 1.14-2.45), respectively. Additionally, men who worked for 40 h/week showed a significant association between OSA, CKD, and albuminuria. This study supports the link between OSA and the risk of kidney disease, especially among men and those who work long hours. Screening and treating OSA may be a crucial strategy for preventing kidney disease, particularly in high-risk populations.

Prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea in diabetic patients

Context

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)-related hypoxemia stimulates release of acute-phase proteins and reactive oxygen species that exacerbate insulin resistance and lipolysis and cause an augmented prothrombotic and proinflammatory state which can leads to premature death.

Aims

This study aims to study the prevalence of OSA in diabetic patients.

Setting and Design

It was a cross-sectional study, done over a period of 1 year in a tertiary care hospital.

Materials and Methods

A total of 149 type 2 diabetic patients were enrolled after taking written consent. All patients were subjected to STOP BANG questionnaire and patients falling in intermediate-high risk (score 3-8), were taken for overnight polysomnography to confirm the diagnosis of OSA (apnea hypopnea index ≥ 5).

Statistical Analysis Used

Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 21.0 statistical analysis software.

Results

Fifty-five percent of our diabetic population were having OSA. The age of patients enrolled in the study ranged between 30 and 86 years and prevalence increases with an increase in age groups. Majority (61.7%) of our cases were males. Incremental trend in weight, body mass index (BMI), neck circumference, and waist circumference of OSA cases were found with increasing in severity of OSA. Mean levels of raised blood sugar and HbA1c were higher in severe OSA cases.

Conclusions

OSA has a high prevalence in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Patients with type 2 diabetes should be screened for OSA, even in the absence of symptoms, especially in individuals with higher waist circumference and BMI.

Risk assessment of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome and other sleep disorders in multiple sclerosis patients

BACKGROUND

The aim of the present study was to determine the possible risk of OSAS in patients with MS through the STOP-BANG questionnaire, and to confirm the pre-diagnosis of OSAS by recording polysomnographic investigation in individuals with high risk. In addition, the relationship between OSAS risk and fatigue, sleepiness, depression, and disability status will be examined.

METHODS

Totally 97 patients with multiple sclerosis including 36 males and 61 females with an age average of 39.92 ± 9.11 years. All participants completed the following questionnaires: STOP-Bang, Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS), Epworth sleepiness scale (ESS), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI); disability status of the participants was assessed by Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS). Polysomnographic sleep record was applied to the patients with high risk of OSAS according to STOP-BANG test scores.

RESULTS

The STOP_BANG questionnaire revealed that 24.7% of the patients were screened as high risk for OSA. Approximately 11.3% of the patients were detected positive for OSAS based on PSG recording. Comparison of MS patients with high risk of OSA with others suggested a significant difference in terms of the age (p = 0.01). ESS positive scores were significantly correlated with positive STOP BANG outcomes (p < 0.001). ESS positive scores were negatively correlated with positive PSG outcomes.

CONCLUSION

The prevalence of OSAS in MS patients based on questionnaire and PSG was found consistent with literature. Similar to the general population, increasing age was found as a risk factor for OSAS in patients with MS. STOP-BANG test may not be an adequate test to diagnose OSAS, especially in MS patients with high fatigue scores.

Prevalence of Sleep Apnea and its Associated Factors in Chronic Kidney Disease Patients

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to determine the prevalence of sleep apnea and its associated factors in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This population-based cross-sectional study included 47 CKD patients, referred to the dialysis unit of Kosar Hospital in Semnan, Iran, in 2017. Two questionnaires were used for data collection. The first questionnaire included demographic and clinical variables, and the second questionnaire (STOP-BANG questionnaire) was used to measure sleep apnea in CKD patients. Also, the Apnea-Hypopnea Index (AHI) was calculated for all patients and was considered as the gold standard. To determine the factors associated with sleep apnea, univariate and multiple logistic regression models were used. Finally, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) was determined for assessing the discriminative ability of the model, as well as the accuracy of STOP-BANG questionnaire. STATA version 14 was used for data analysis.

RESULTS

The prevalence of sleep apnea in CKD patients was 53.2%. Also, its prevalence in women and men was 52% and 48%, respectively. In the multiple logistic regression model, body mass index (BMI) (OR: 1.21, 95% CI: 1.04-1.31) and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) (OR: 0.94, 95% CI: 0.91-0.98) had significant associations with sleep apnea in CKD patients; the area under the ROC curve was 0.7982 for this model. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and area under the ROC curve of STOP-BANG questionnaire for AHI≥15 were 71.43, 61.54, 60, 72.73, and 0.6932, respectively.

CONCLUSION

This study showed that the prevalence of sleep apnea in CKD patients was high. Given the acceptable validity of STOP-BANG questionnaire, this scale can be used to screen sleep apnea in CKD patients.

STOP-BANG as a Pre-procedure Risk Assessment Tool to Predict Intraprocedure Airway Maneuvers and Adverse Events in a Gastrointestinal Laboratory

A high prevalence of undiagnosed obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) exists in patients receiving sedation for gastrointestinal laboratory (GI lab) procedures, with potentially serious adverse events associated with untreated OSA. This quality improvement project aimed to identify patients at high risk of OSA and evaluate their risk of intraprocedure airway maneuvers and adverse events in a GI lab. In the GI lab, nurses administered and documented the STOP-BANG questionnaire as part of their pre-procedure assessment of 80 patients presenting for elective procedures. The occurrence of airway maneuvers and adverse events during the procedures was measured using a checklist given to nurse anesthetists as they brought patients to the postprocedure area. Patients with STOP-BANG scores below 5 and with scores of 5 and above were compared. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze differences in patient outcomes. Patients with high STOP-BANG scores had an increased need for airway maneuvers and higher occurrence of adverse events (P=.05). These results support the use of STOP-BANG as a pre-procedure risk assessment tool. Anesthesia professionals can anticipate intraprocedure airway interventions, consider preemptive interventions in a GI lab, and be more vigilant when caring for patients with high STOP-BANG scores at high risk of undiagnosed OSA.

Validating the Lithuanian version of the STOP-BANG questionnaire for diagnosing obstructive sleep apnea

BACKGROUND

The aim of this study was to prepare and validate the Lithuanian version of the STOP-BANG questionnaire and evaluate its correlation with polysomnography results.

METHODS

In this study, we included patients ≥ 18 years of age who underwent overnight polysomnography between January 1 in 2018 and January 1 in 2019. All patients completed the STOP-BANG questionnaire before polysomnography. To assess the adequacy of the questionnaire, we used contingency tables and areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve.

RESULTS

The study included 236 patients. The mean age of the patients was 55.2 ± 11.5 years and 159 (68%) were men. The mean apnea-hypopnea index for the entire study group was 33.8 ± 28.4, and the mean STOP-BANG score was 5.4 ± 1.6 points. Moderate (0.3-0.7, p < 0.05) correlations were found between the STOP-BANG questionnaire scores and all measured objective anthropometric and polysomnography parameters. The questionnaire's Cronbach's alpha score was 0.408. Based on the analysis of the ROC curves, the cut-off STOP-BANG score of 3 points showed a sensitivity of 87% and a specificity of 50% (AUC = 0.717) for the identification of any OSA. The positive predictive value (PPV) for an identification of any OSA at a cut-off point of 3 was 96%, and the negative predictive value (NPV) was 26%.

CONCLUSIONS

The linguistic and cultural adaptation of the Lithuanian version of the STOP-BANG questionnaire was carried out in accordance with international recommendations. The Lithuanian version of the STOP-BANG questionnaire is characterized by high sensitivity and average specificity in diagnosing OSA.

The Screening Value Of ESS, SACS, BQ, And SBQ On Obstructive Sleep Apnea In Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Objective

To compare the performance of Epworth sleepiness scale (ESS), sleep apnea clinical score (SACS), Berlin questionnaire (BQ), and STOP-BANG questionnaire (SBQ) in screening for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Methods

A total of 431 patients were analyzed. All subjects completed lung function test, ESS, SACS, BQ, and SBQ survey and overnight polysomnography (PSG). According to lung function and PSG results, participants were divided into COPD with OSA group (OVS, AHI ≥5) and without OSA group (AHI <5). The value of ESS, SACS, BQ, and SBQ was compared in predicting OSA in patients with COPD by receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve statistics.

Results

Of the 431 subjects, there were 96 cases in COPD without OSA group, and 335 cases in OVS group including 183, 96, and 56 cases of COPD combined with mild, moderate or severe OSA. In predicting different degrees of severity of OSA in patients with COPD, the value of ESS was poor with all the values of area under the curve (AUC) < 0.7. SACS and BQ had moderate predictive value in screening for severe OSA with the value of AUC of 0.750, 0.735 respectively. However, the SBQ performed best in predicting various degrees of OSA. For screening mild OSA (AHI ≥5), the ROC statistics recommended the cut-off score of SBQ >2 was considered high risk of OSA; the sensitivity, specificity, and AUC were 92.8%, 40.6%, and 0.723 respectively, the odds ratio (OR) was 2.161. When AHI ≥15, AUC for SBQ was 0.737. In predicting severe OSA (AHI ≥30), the ROC curve showed cut-off point, sensitivity, specificity, and AUC for SBQ was >4, 66.1%, 82.1%, and 0.824 respectively; the positive and negative likelihood ratio was 3.70, 0.41 separately, the OR was 2.977.

Conclusion

SBQ performed better than ESS, SACS, and BQ in predicting OSA in patients with COPD.

Obstructive sleep apnoea predicted by the STOP-BANG questionnaire is not associated with higher rates of post-operative complications among a high-risk surgical cohort

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study is to establish if obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) predicted by the STOP-BANG questionnaire would be associated with higher rates of post-operative cardiac, respiratory or neurological complications among a selected high-risk population with established major comorbidities undergoing major surgery. We hypothesise that a cohort selected for major comorbidities will show a higher post-operative complication rate that may power any potential association with co-existent OSA and identify an important target group for OSA screening and treatment pathways in preparation for major surgery.

METHODS

Patients attending a high-risk preadmission clinic prior to major surgery from May 2015 to November 2015 were prospectively screened for OSA using the STOP-BANG questionnaire. Patients with treated OSA were excluded. Patient data and complications were attained from the pre-admission clinic and subsequent inpatient medical record at discharge.

RESULTS

Three-hundred-and-ten patients were included in the study (age 68.6 ± 13.1 years, body mass index [BMI] 30.6 ± 7.4 kg/m²; 52.9% female). Sixty-four patients (20.6%) experienced 82 post-operative complications. Seventy-five percent of the cohort had a STOP-BANG ≥ 3. There was no association between the STOP-BANG score (unadjusted and adjusted for comorbidity) with the development of post-operative complications.

CONCLUSIONS

OSA predicted by the STOP-BANG score was not associated with higher rates of post-operative complications in patients with major comorbidities undergoing high-risk surgery. As the findings from this cohort contrast with other observational studies, more definitive studies are required to establish a causative link between OSA and post-operative complications and determine whether treating OSA reduces this complication rate.

Reliability and Validity of Simplified Chinese STOP-BANG Questionnaire in Diagnosing and Screening Obstructive Sleep Apnea Hypopnea Syndrome

The main purpose of this study was to assess the reliability and validity of the simplified Chinese STOP-BANG Questionnaire (SBQ) as a diagnosing and screening tool for obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS). Two hundred and ten patients with suspected OSAHS were recruited in this study. The simplified Chinese SBQ was completed twice before and after polysomnography (PSG) monitoring. SPSS 20.0 was used to analyze the test-retest reliability, discriminant validity, comparative validity and predictive validity of the SBQ. Fourteen patients were excluded on account of fragmentary data, and valid 196 were divided into four groups: non-OSAHS group (n=28, 14.29%), mild OSAHS group (n=28, 14.29%), moderate OSAHS group (n=31, 15.81%) and severe OSAHS group (n=109, 55.61%). The test-retest coefficient for the first four items was 0.810, 0.679, 0.775, 0.963 respectively and the total score of the STOP questionnaire was 0.854. The analysis of discriminant validity revealed that there were significant differences among four groups in the total score of the SBQ and scores of item 1, 3, 7 and 8, which were also validated between patients with normal blood oxygen saturation and different degrees of hypoxemia. The SBQ evaluation showed low consistency with diagnostic gold standard PSG (κ=0.303, P<0.05). When taking apnea hypopnea index (AHI) ≥5/h, ≥15/h and ≥30/h as cut-offs to evaluate the SBQ predictive value, the areas under ROC curve were 0.77, 0.81 and 0.78, the sensitivity was 90.48%, 93.57% and 93.33%, and corresponding negative predictive values were 40.74%, 66.67% and 85.19%, respectively. It was suggested that the simplified Chinese version of SBQ had good reliability, and could distinguish the severity of OSAHS. Despite its limited diagnostic accuracy, the SBQ can be considered as an ideal tool for screening OSAHS with superior predictive validity.

Prevalence and Risk of Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Arterial Hypertension in the Adult Population in Poland: An Observational Subset of the International Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology (PURE) Study

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common breathing disorder affecting millions of people worldwide. The disorder is connected with serious consequences including hypertension, myocardial infarction, arrhythmias, coronary disease, cardiac insufficiency, stroke, transient ischemic attack, and cognitive decline. Epidemiological data assessing the prevalence of OSA in different countries vary in methodology, size, and characteristics of population chosen and thus are hardly comparable. There are very few reports on the prevalence of OSA and on the diagnostic accuracy of sleep questionnaires available in Poland. In this report we present the analysis of the prevalence of, and risk factors for OSA in the Polish adult population consisting of 613 community-based subjects (227 men and 386 women). The study was based on the STOP-BANG questionnaire, a validated Screening Tool for OSA in primary care. It is a part of Polish subset of the Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology (PURE) study, an ongoing population cohort study of individuals from urban and rural communities from 21 countries. We took into account age, gender, body mass index (BMI), and antihypertensive treatment. The findings are that over one half of the Polish population investigated had a moderate to high risk of OSA (66.5% of men and 60.1% of women). After the adjustments for age, gender, and BMI we noticed a dose-response relationship between arterial blood pressure behavior and OSA. The association was significant among women, but not men. Based on previous studies we can assume that one half of this high risk group would be further diagnosed for OSA. This study, the first large scale screening for OSA in Poland, shows a substantial, much higher than previously appreciated, prevalence of risk for OSA in the population at large.

Clinical use of the STOP-BANG questionnaire to determine postoperative risk in veterans

OBJECTIVES

To determine whether STOP-BANG (snoring, tiredness, observed apnea, high blood pressure, body mass index, age, neck circumference, gender) scores are associated with immediate postoperative adverse events in veterans undergoing surgery.

METHODS

In this prospective cohort study, veterans presenting to the presurgical clinic at a Veterans Affairs hospital answered the STOP-BANG questionnaire, which was scored as high risk (5-8), intermediate risk (3-4), and low risk (0-2) for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), during a 6-month study period. Immediate postoperative respiratory and cardiovascular adverse events were recorded.

RESULTS

The patient population included 1,080 veterans. Ninety-five patients (8.8%) experienced adverse events, of which 74 (6.9%) were respiratory and 21 (1.9%) were cardiovascular in nature. Patients with high-risk STOP-BANG scores (5-8) had significantly greater odds of having an adverse event odds ratio (OR) 2.1 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.4, 3.3) and hypoxia OR 2.8 (95% CI: 1.7, 4.6) compared to those with low- to intermediate-risk scores (0-4). Among patients with OSA, those with high-risk scores (5-8) had greater odds of an adverse event OR 3.9 (95% CI: 1.1, 13.9) and hypoxia OR 3.7 (95% CI: 1.1, 13.0) compared to those with low- to intermediate-risk scores (0-4). Patients without a history of OSA with high-risk scores (5-8) did not have significantly greater odds of an adverse event OR 1.5 (95% CI: 0.82, 2.6) or a hypoxic event OR 1.7 (95% CI: 0.87, 3.4) compared to those with low- to intermediate-risk scores (0-4).

CONCLUSION

The STOP-BANG questionnaire was useful in the veteran population because high-risk scores were predictive of adverse events, in particular, hypoxia for patients with a previous diagnosis of OSA. In the future, this may direct studies and clinical activities aimed at optimizing safe and effective perioperative practices.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

2b Laryngoscope, 129:259-264, 2019.

Using the Electronic Medical Record to Improve Preoperative Identification of Patients at Risk for Obstructive Sleep Apnea

PURPOSE

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a breathing disorder found in surgical patients and associated with complications in the postoperative period. The implementation of a preoperative universal screening process using the STOP-BANG questionnaire to identify patients at high risk for OSA provides opportunities for improved management.

DESIGN

A pre-post design was used to evaluate screening compliance rates.

METHODS

This initiative included staff education, which included the process for evaluating and documenting STOP-BANG scores. The data were collected via a chart review of the electronic medical record (EMR).

FINDINGS

The rate of screening for OSA doubled after implementation of this initiative, and compliance with STOP-BANG questionnaire screening was 66.1%. High-risk designation in the EMR was 73.0%. Nearly half of the patients screened were found to be at high risk for OSA.

CONCLUSIONS

Implementation of a universal screening initiative for patients and design for the EMR improves compliance with screening and identification of patients at high risk for OSA.

Probability of Undiagnosed Obstructive Sleep Apnea Does Not Correlate With Adverse Pulmonary Events nor Length of Stay in Hip and Knee Arthroplasty Using Intrathecal Opioid

BACKGROUND

Recent emphasis on bundled payments and outcomes tracking has increased the focus on preoperative optimization in patients undergoing elective lower extremity arthroplasty. Since patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) have an increased risk of adverse perioperative pulmonary events, screening for undiagnosed OSA is sometimes included as part of preoperative risk assessment. However, there are limited data regarding quantification of OSA risk in lower extremity arthroplasty patients, and little is known about the utility of quantitative OSA screening and the risk of pulmonary complications in hip and knee arthroplasty patients who receive intrathecal morphine anesthetic.

METHODS

A retrospective review of 990 patients at a tertiary care, urban academic medical center who underwent lower extremity arthroplasty with a multimodal pain regimen including intrathecal morphine anesthesia, comparing the rate of pulmonary complications and length of stay between patients previously diagnosed with OSA and those identified as low, moderate, and high risk of undiagnosed OSA established by screening with the STOP-BANG questionnaire in the preoperative setting.

RESULTS

Using logistic regression and adjusting for age, gender, and body mass index, the results suggested the rate of complications was not different across the sleep apnea risk groups (P = .4024). In addition, linear regression suggested length of stay did not differ significantly by sleep apnea risk group (P = .2823).

CONCLUSION

In patients receiving intrathecal morphine as part of a multimodal pain regimen undergoing hip or knee arthroplasty, neither risk of adverse pulmonary events nor length of stay appeared to correlate with preoperative risk of undiagnosed OSA.

Incorporating body-type (apple vs. pear) in STOP-BANG questionnaire improves its validity to detect OSA

STUDY OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study is to evaluate whether adding the item of "apple body type" to the STOP-BANG questionnaire enhances diagnostic performance of the questionnaire for detecting obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

DESIGN

Cross-sectional study.

SETTING

Sleep center setting.

PATIENTS

Two hundred and eight subjects who were referred for an evaluation of possible OSA at Tulane Comprehensive Sleep Center. The exclusion criteria were age<18years old, incomplete or absent questionnaire, incomplete body type identification, polysomnography (PSG) refusal, and pregnant women.

INTERVENTIONS

STOP-BANG items and body type data were collected on the initial clinic visit. An overnight PSG was performed on every participant.

MEASUREMENTS

Descriptive analyses of the demographic data and PSG variables were performed. The predictive parameters of STOP and STOP-BANG without and with body type score (STOP-Apple and STOPBANG-Apple) were compared.

MAIN RESULTS

The STOP questionnaire's sensitivity/specificity/positive likelihood ratio (+LR) (cut-off=2) was 96%/11%/1.1, respectively whereas the STOP-Apple questionnaire (cut-off=3) was 88%/39%/1.5. The STOP-BANG's sensitivity/specificity/+LR (cut-off=3) was 96%/19%/1.2, respectively whereas the STOP-BANG-Apple questionnaire (cut-off=4) was 90%/39%/1.5. The area under the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve of STOP-Apple was comparable to the STOP-BANG (P=0.25). The addition of the apple body type item to the STOP-BANG questionnaire in participants with a score≥3 led to increased specificity (67.4%), increased the odds ratio of having OSA of 2.5 (95% CI, 1.2-5.3) and odds ratio of having moderate-severe OSA of 4.7 (95% CI, 2.5-8.7).

CONCLUSION

In the sleep center setting, adding the body type item to the STOP-BANG questionnaire improves not only clinical prediction for PSG confirmed OSA but also predicts moderate to severe of OSA.

Outpatient Anesthetic Safety Considerations for Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Most patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are not diagnosed preoperatively. The STOP-Bang questionnaire may identify patients at risk of OSA, especially those with severe OSA. Patients with mild to moderate OSA, with optimized comorbidities, can usually safely undergo outpatient surgery. Patients with severe OSA, who are not optimized medically, should avoid outpatient surgery.

A Quality Improvement Project: Using the STOP-BANG Tool in a Military Population to Improve Equity in Preoperative Screening

BACKGROUND

The lack of a preoperative screening tool to detect obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) may lead to an increase in postoperative complications.

AIM

The aim of the study was to implement a prescreening tool to identify diagnosed or undiagnosed OSA before a surgical procedure.

SETTING

The study was conducted in the surgical admission center and postanesthesia care unit at a military treatment facility in Hawaii.

PARTICIPANTS

Participants of the study included military personnel, military family members, veterans, and veteran beneficiaries.

METHODS

The STOP-BANG (snore/tired/obstruction/pressure-body mass index/age/neck/gender) tool was used between April and June 2013 to identify and stratify 1,625 patients into low-risk, intermediate-risk, high-risk, and known OSA categories.

RESULTS

The STOP-BANG tool confirmed the diagnosed OSA rate to be 13.48%, and increased at-risk OSA detection by 24.69%. Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders were more frequently found to be at risk with known OSA, likely to have complications, and be transferred to PACU 23-hour extended stay compared to other races and intermediate-risk and high-risk categories.

CONCLUSION

The STOP-BANG tool identified and stratified surgical patients at risk for OSA and standardized OSA assessments.

Identifying obstructive sleep apnea after stroke/TIA: evaluating four simple screening tools

OBJECTIVE

Despite its high prevalence and unfavorable clinical consequences, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) often remains underappreciated after cerebrovascular events. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the clinical utility of four simple paper-based screening tools for excluding OSA after stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA).

PATIENTS/METHODS

Sixty-nine inpatients and outpatients with stroke or TIA during the past 180 days completed the 4-Variable screening tool (4V), STOP-BAG questionnaire (ie, STOP-BANG questionnaire without the neck circumference measurement), Berlin questionnaire, and the Sleep Obstructive apnea score optimized for Stroke (SOS). They subsequently underwent objective testing using a portable sleep monitoring device. Cutoffs were selected to maximize sensitivity and exclude OSA (AHI ≥ 10) in ≥10% of the cohort.

RESULTS

The mean age was 68.3 ± 14.2 years and 47.8% were male. Thirty-two patients (46.4%) were found to have OSA. Male sex, body mass index (BMI), and atrial fibrillation were independent predictors of OSA. Among the screening tools, the 4V had the greatest area under the curve (AUC) of 0.688 (p = 0.007); the sensitivity was 96.9% for a cutoff of <6. The STOP-BAG also significantly detected OSA with an AUC of 0.677 (p = 0.012); the sensitivity was 93.8% for a cutoff of <2. Scores on the 4V and STOP-BAG were significantly correlated with the AHI.

CONCLUSIONS

The 4V and STOP-BAG questionnaire may aid clinicians with ruling out OSA within 180 days of stroke/TIA. Due to the atypical presentation of poststroke/TIA OSA, these tools are only moderately predictive; objective testing should still be used for OSA diagnosis in this population.