Background: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is extremely common among bariatric surgical candidates. Identifying those at risk for moderate to severe OSA is challenging. Testing all bariatric surgical candidates with a level 1 polysomnographic study is expensive and resource intensive. The aim of this study is to evaluate three standardized screening questionnaires that are utilized to identify high-risk patients for OSA undergoing bariatric surgery.
Methods: A retrospective review of data collected prospectively was undertaken on bariatric surgical patients who have not had a preexisting diagnosis of OSA. Each patient was subjected to the STOP BANG and Berlin Questionnaires as well as the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), after which a level 1 polysomnogram was undertaken. Nonparametric receiver operating characteristic analyses were used to evaluate the relationship between questionnaire scores and OSA as determined by a formal sleep lab study.
Results: There were 266 patients subjected to a standard overnight polysomnogram and screening questionnaires. Area under the curve (AUC) values for analyses including the entire sample were significantly (p < .05) greater than chance (i.e., AUC = .50) for all questionnaire scores except the ESS for both severe OSA (AUC range = .584-.631) and moderate/severe OSA (AUC range = .589-.660), although the magnitude of the AUC values was quite modest. Sensitivity and specificity values from the current study are substantially lower than those previously reported in the literature.
Conclusions: Neither the STOP BANG nor Berlin questionnaires appear to be effective tools for detecting moderate- or high-risk patients for OSA undergoing bariatric surgery.
Keywords: Bariatric surgery; Berlin questionnaire; Epworth Sleepiness Scale; Obstructive sleep apnea; STOP BANG questionnaire.