Preoperative Sleep Questionnaires Identify Medical Emergency Team Activation in Older Adults

Area of Science:

• Anesthesiology
• Sleep Medicine
• Patient Safety

Background:

• Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is linked to increased postoperative complications.
• Identifying at-risk patients preoperatively is crucial for patient safety.
• The frequency of postoperative Medical Emergency Team Activations (META) in older adults screened for OSA preoperatively is not well-established.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the feasibility of preoperative OSA questionnaire completion by patients.
• To determine the incidence of META in older patients identified as at risk for OSA.

Main Methods:

• Prospective cohort study involving 575 patients completing STOP-Bang (SB) and ISNORED (IS) questionnaires preoperatively.
• Data on in-patient postoperative META were collected.
• Patients were categorized by OSA risk based on questionnaire responses.

Main Results:

• 65% of patients were identified as at risk for OSA.
• Patients at risk for OSA experienced a higher incidence of META (7.6% SB+, 7.2% IS+) compared to low-risk patients (2.5% SB+, 1.7% IS+).
• META was disproportionately higher in patients aged ≥65 years and those with ASA physical status class ≥3.

Conclusions:

• Preoperative OSA screening using self-administered questionnaires is feasible.
• Preoperative identification of OSA risk is associated with a higher rate of postoperative META in older adults.
• Utilizing OSA questionnaires can enhance the preoperative identification of patients at risk for adverse postoperative events.