4 0 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • O C T O B E R 2 0 1 8
Obstructive sleep apnea is often
underdiagnosed in the general
population, but performing the
gold standard in diagnosing OSA —
polysomnography — is often too
time-consuming and expensive for
patients to receive before surgery.
Because of these limitations, a
new study set out to determine
whether STOP-Bang and pulse
oximetry can reliably identify
patients with OSA
(osmag.net/AoEUr8).
In the trial, 449 adult patients
underwent an in-home overnight
sleep test to diagnose OSA. They
also were evaluated using pulse
oximetry and the STOP-Bang
questionnaire. The STOP-Bang
score consists of the sum of 8 pos-
itive answers to snoring, tiredness,
observed apnea, high blood pres-
sure, body mass index greater
than 35kg/m, age greater than 50
years old, neck circumference
greater than 40 cm and male gen-
der.
BETTER PREPARATION
Can We Identify Patients With Sleep Apnea?
STOP-Bang
Ask these questions to deter-
mine whether patients may
suffer from obstructive sleep
apnea.
S = Snoring. Do you snore loud-
ly — louder than talking or
loud enough to be heard
through closed doors?
T = Tiredness. Do you often feel
tired, fatigued or sleepy
during daytime?
O = Observed apnea. Has any-
one seen you stop breath-
ing during your sleep?
P = Pressure. Do you have or
are you being treated for
high blood pressure?
B = BMI >35
A = Age > 50 years
N = Neck circumference
>40cm
G = Male gender
