The association of pre‐operative STOP‐BANG scores with postoperative critical care admission

Summary The STOP-BANG questionnaire screens for obstructive sleep apnoea. We retrospectively analysed the independent association of pre-operative variables with postoperative critical care admission using multivariable logistic regression for patients undergoing elective surgery from January to December 2011. Of 5432 patients, 338 (6.2%) were admitted postoperatively to the critical care unit. In multivariate analysis, the odds ratios (95% CI) for critical care admission were: 2.2 (1.1–4.6), p = 0.037; 3.2 (1.2–8.1), p = 0.017; and 5.1 (1.8–14.9), p = 0.002, for STOP-BANG scores of 4, 5 and ≥ 6, respectively. The odds ratio was also independently increased for: each year of age, 1.015 (1.004–1.026), p = 0.019; asthma, 1.6 (1.1–2.4), p = 0.016; obstructive sleep apnoea, 3.2 (1.9–5.6), p < 0.001; and for ASA physical status 2, 3 and ≥ 4, 2.1 (1.4–3.3), 6.5 (3.9–11.0), 6.3 (2.9–13.8), respectively, p < 0.001 for all.