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.