298 Reducing Surgical Delays Through Early Detection and Management of Obstructive Sleep Apnoea in High-Risk Patients
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Aim Identify the impact of OSA on elective surgical list cancellations and determine the implications. Optimise the referral pathway by screening patients during surgical listing, allowing early investigation. Method An audit was completed of 98 patients listed for urological procedures in July 2024. High-risk OSA patients were identified based on pre-op screening in the hospital EPR system (Lorenzo). Notes were checked to determine if high-risk patients were referred for sleep studies and whether the referral caused surgical delays. Data pointsTime between pre-op assessment and sleep study.Time between pre-op assessment and procedure date.Reason for delay/cancellation, and any complications. A pilot cycle of 1 week using the STOP-BANG questionnaire was completed. This period allowed for improvements in the screening process. Following the pilot cycle, the STOP-BANG questionnaire is to be implemented in the pre-operative clinic for 1 month. After which, a re-audit will be performed, using the same metrics, to measure outcomes post-intervention. Results Sample: 98 patients (average age 62) Daycase(56), Inpatient(36), No theatre allocated(7) OutcomesCompleted surgeries: 75Cancelled/delayed surgeries: 19Awaiting surgery: 3Abandoned surgeries: 1 High STOPBANG score (≥5): 7Delayed procedures: 6One patient exceeded the malignancy target (31 days) - surgery occurred 73 days later.One patient required admission for pyelonephritisFour other delayed causes. Conclusions Early identification of high-risk OSA patients can significantly reduce delays in planned surgeries and minimise associated complications. Implementing STOP-BANG screening at the time of listing allows timely optimisation, thereby reducing cancellations and improving patient outcomes.
Source: British journal of surgery
Authors: S Hughes, S Wu
Language: English
Subfield: Physiology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W4411706866