The Cardiovascular
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STOP-Bang score for obstructive sleep apnoea

Eight-item screening score for the probability of moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnoea.

STOP-Bang score for obstructive sleep apnoea
Snoring loudly (louder than talking, or heard through closed doors)
Tired, fatigued, or sleepy during the daytime
Observed apnoea (choking/gasping) during sleep
Treated for high blood pressure
BMI >35 kg/m^2
Age >50 years
Neck circumference >40 cm
Male sex
Result0 points

Low risk of moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnoea.

Risk category
Low

When to use

  • Preoperative screening for undiagnosed obstructive sleep apnoea to guide perioperative monitoring and anaesthetic planning.

Formula

One point each for: Snoring, Tiredness, Observed apnoea, blood Pressure (treated hypertension), BMI >35, Age >50, Neck circumference >40 cm, male Gender. Score 0-8; 0-2 = low risk, 3-4 = intermediate risk, >=5 = high risk of moderate-to-severe OSA.

Pearls and pitfalls

  • A score of >=5 gave the strongest association with moderate-to-severe OSA on polysomnography in the validation cohort.
  • STOP-Bang has high sensitivity but modest specificity; a low score is more useful for ruling out OSA than a high score is for ruling it in.

References

  1. Chung F, Subramanyam R, Liao P, Sasaki E, Shapiro C, Sun Y. High STOP-Bang score indicates a high probability of obstructive sleep apnoea. Br J Anaesth. 2012;108(5):768-775.