Screening for Pediatric Obstructive Sleep Apnea before Ambulatory Surgery.

Purpose: The American Society of Anesthesia practice guidelines recommend that pediatric and adult patients who undergo ambulatory surgery be screened for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). With this in mind, our objective was to assess the frequency of screening by anesthesia providers for the signs and symptoms of OSA in children undergoing surgery in an ambulatory setting.

Methods: Prospective single-blinded observational study of anesthesia providers' preoperative interview of caregivers of consecutive patients younger than age 18 who were scheduled for ambulatory surgery.

Results: One hundred one children (30 females) were identified, with a mean age of 6.9 ± 5.0 years; 54 were classified as white, 33 as black, and 14 as other. Total OSA-18 scores ranged from 18 to 97, with a mean of 33.1 ± 14.8. The mean score for adenotonsillectomy patients was higher than that for children who underwent procedures other than adenotonsillectomy. Thirty-one percent of children were screened for OSA, and snoring was the most common symptom recorded (28%). Patients who were screened for OSA were more likely to have snoring (p < 0.001), known OSA (p = 0.006), and a scheduled adenotonsillectomy (p = 0.02).

Conclusion: OSA was not routinely screened for by anesthesia providers prior to ambulatory pediatric surgery. When screening did occur, "snoring" was the most commonly recorded symptom. Paradoxically, patients with undiagnosed OSA who would benefit the most from screening were the least likely to be screened.

Commentary: A commentary on this article appears in this issue on page 697.