Screening for XXXX before Ambulatory Surgery.

@entity1 @entity27
Purpose: The American Society of Anesthesia practice guidelines recommend that pediatric and adult @entity1 who undergo ambulatory surgery be screened for @entity27 (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 @entity1 undergoing surgery in an ambulatory setting. Methods: Prospective single-blinded observational study of anesthesia providers' preoperative interview of caregivers of consecutive @entity1 younger than age 18 who were scheduled for ambulatory surgery. Results: One hundred one @entity1 (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 @entity1 was higher than that for @entity1 who underwent procedures other than adenotonsillectomy. Thirty-one percent of @entity1 were screened for OSA, and snoring was the most common symptom recorded (28%). @entity1 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, @entity1 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.
