Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2013 Apr;7(2):155-9.
doi: 10.4103/1658-354X.114072.

Prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea in surgical patients presenting to a tertiary care teaching hospital in India: A preliminary study

Sanjay Agrawal  1 , Ravi Gupta, Vivekanand Lahan, Ghulam Mustafa, Uttamjot Kaur
Affiliations

Prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea in surgical patients presenting to a tertiary care teaching hospital in India: A preliminary study

Sanjay Agrawal et al. Saudi J Anaesth. 2013 Apr.

Abstract

Background: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is often not diagnosed in patients presenting for surgical procedures thereby increasing the incidence of adverse perioperative course. Early diagnosis of this disease is important in modifying anesthetic management as well as utilizing specific means which may decrease the complications and improve the patient outcome.

Methods: Patients greater than eighteen years of age, ASA I-III scheduled for elective surgical procedures under anesthesia were randomly selected. Their demographic data, diagnosis and nature of surgery were noted in a semi-structured performa. They were then screened for the presence of OSA with the help of a STOP BANG questionnaire.

Results: This study included two hundred four patients randomly selected. Slight female predominance was seen in this sample (55.4%). Mean age of the subjects was 42.7 years (SD=15.08). 24.5% subjects were at high risk for OSA (STOP-BANG>3) with a male predominance (72% versus 37% in low risk group; X (2)=18.62; P<0.001). High risk OSA subjects had higher prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors (57% vs. 11.7% in low risk group; X (2)=33.35; P<0.001). Similarly, this group had a higher prevalence of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (14% versus 3.8% in low risk group; X (2)=6.54; P=0.03). Prevalence of diabetes mellitus (22%) and hypothyroidism (6%) was also higher in this group (5.2% and 1.9% in low risk group respectively; X (2)=15.42; P<0.001).

Conclusion: High degree of suspicion and knowledge of association of OSA and medical diseases may help in detection of such cases and decrease the rate of perioperative complications thus improving patients safety.

Keywords: Anaesthesia; STOP BANG; complication; obstructive sleep apnea.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: None declared

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Relationship of BMI with neck-circumference and abdominal girth (N= 204)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Loube D, Gay PC, Strohl KP, Pack AI, White DP, Collop NA. Indication for positive pressure treatment of adults obstructive sleep apnea patients: A consensus statement. Chest. 1999;115:863–6. - PubMed
    1. Kaw R, Michota F, Jaffer A, Ghamande S, Auckley D, Golish J. Unrecognized sleep apnea in surgical patients. Implications for perioperative settings. Chest. 2006;129:198–205. - PubMed
    1. Liao P, Yegneswaran B, Vairavanathan S, Zilberman P, Chung F. Postoperative complications in patients with obstructive sleep apnea: A retrospective matched cohort study. Can J Anaesth. 2009;56:819–28. - PubMed
    1. Memtsoudis S, Liu SS, Ma Y, Chiu YL, Walz JM, Gaber-Baylis LK, et al. Perioperative pulmonary outcome in patients with sleep apnea after noncardiac surgery. Anesth Analg. 2011;112:113–21. - PubMed
    1. Sharma SK, Vasudev C, Sinha S, Banga A, Pandey RM, Handa KK. Validation of modified Berlin questionnaire to identify patients at risk for obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. Indian J Med Res. 2006;124:281–90. - PubMed