Consecutive adult patients admitted for an urgent surgery under general anaesthesia were included. The STOP-BANG questionnaire was completed before anaesthesia. Perioperative respiratory complications were prospectively recorded during surgery and in the postoperative care unit (PACU).
One hundred and eighty-nine patients were included (women 46%, median age 60 [43–78] years old) of which 104 (55%) were SB+. Diabetes mellitus and arrhythmia were more frequent in the SB+ patients than in SB-. The ASA class was higher in SB+ patients compared with SB-, but type and duration of surgery were statistically similar. The incidence of respiratory complications was higher in SB+ patients both during surgery (21% versus 6%, P < 0.002) and in the PACU (57% versus 34%, P = 0.0015). Furthermore, SB+ patients had a prolonged length of hospital stay (6 [3–12] versus 4 [2–7] days, P = 0.0002). In a multivariate analysis, the STOP-BANG score was independently associated with respiratory complications (OR [CI 95%] = 1.44 [1.03–2.03], P = 0.03).
An elevated STOP-BANG score (≥ 3) is associated with an increased risk of perioperative respiratory complications and with prolonged length of stay in urgent surgery patients.