Use of the Stop-bang questionnaire for the population determination of obstructive sleep apnea in surgical patients

Objective

Determine if patients undergoing elective surgery have risk factors for obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS), using the Stop-bang questionnaire.

Material and methods

Patients who entered a university hospital for surgery and met the inclusion criteria were asked to be weighed, measure, and answered questions about their sleep habit. They were measured and weighed on a stationary SECA scale with a maximum capacity of 220 kg. The neck was measured in inches with a tape measure. The questionnaire was answered and given a risk measured by the same scale, and the data was collected in the capture sheet.

Results

A power of 80% was used, considering a p-value that registered below 0.05 statistically significant. Data was collected from 222 patients undergoing surgical procedures at a teaching hospital in northeastern México. The average age was 57 years (24–87 years). The body mass index presented an average of 29.6 kg/m². We found that 19.8% of the patients had normal BMI, with 80.2% of the sample being overweight or obese (n = 178). As for the circumference of the neck, an average of 16.4 in. was recorded.

Conclusions

It was found that 68% of the sample posed an intermediate or high risk for OSAS, compared to other literature that marked 30%. Also, 80% of the preoperative population was found to be overweight or obese.