Utility of the Berlin Questionnaire to screen for obstructive sleep apnea among patients receiving intravenous sedation for colonoscopy.

UNLABELLED: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) affects approximately 20% of Americans. Patients with undiagnosed OSA may experience obstructive episodes during conscious sedation for colonoscopy. The purpose of this investigation was to describe the risk of undiagnosed OSA using the Berlin Questionnaire and to identify the relationship between OSA risk and the number of provider interventions performed to relieve obstructive symptoms during sedation for colonoscopy.

METHODS: Adult patients were enrolled from the gastroenterology clinic at the National Military Medical Center (N = 99). The Berlin Questionnaire was delivered and a brief health history obtained. Patients were observed for obstructive symptoms during sedation. Provider interventions were counted. 18 patients were monitored during their first night of sleep using a portable sleep monitor. Data were analyzed using the independent samples t-test, Chi-square, and Chi-square test for trend.

RESULTS: The incidence of undiagnosed OSA was 40.4%. Patients with hypertension had a higher rate of a positive screen for OSA (70%) than those without hypertension (20.3%), chi2(1) = 3.87, P < .05. There was no statistical difference in the number of provider interventions between the 2 groups. Risk of undiagnosed OSA in this sample is large but it does not appear to be associated with episodes of obstructive symptoms requiring provider intervention.