Pediatric obstructive sleep apnea screening questionnaire and post-operative outcomes: A prospective observational...

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Surgery
• Sleep Medicine
• Anesthesiology

Background:

• Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) and Sleep Disordered Breathing (SDB) in children are complex, multifactorial conditions.
• Existing adult screening tools like STOP-BANG have limited pediatric application.
• A previously developed 6-point questionnaire aims to identify OSA in children.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate a 6-question survey for identifying OSA in pediatric surgical patients.
• To assess the questionnaire's utility in predicting post-operative respiratory events.

Main Methods:

• Children aged 3-18 undergoing surgery were enrolled (excluding emergencies).
• A 6-question OSA/SDB symptom survey was administered preoperatively.
• Neck circumference, height, weight, and BMI percentile were recorded.

Main Results:

• 707 children were analyzed; 26% scored ≥2 points on the questionnaire, indicating predicted OSA.
• Children with predicted OSA were more likely to require post-anesthesia supplemental oxygen (24% vs. 17%, p=0.049).
• No significant differences were observed in PACU length of stay, overnight hospital stay, or inpatient ward oxygen use.

Conclusions:

• The incidence of OSA/SDB is often underestimated in children undergoing non-ENT surgery.
• While predicted OSA may necessitate longer post-anesthesia oxygen support, it did not significantly impact other assessed post-operative outcomes.