Capability of questionnaires to screen for sleep apnea in patients with tachyarrhythmias

Early screening for sleep apnea in patients with tachyarrhythmia is particularly relevant for managing their treatment. Herein, we aimed to assess the screening capabilities of the Berlin Questionnaire, STOP-BANG Sleep Apnea Risk Scale, and Epworth Sleepiness Scale in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and atrial flutter. This study included 207 patients with tachyarrhythmia. The patients were asked to fill the three questionnaires. Respiratory monitoring was performed, and the cohort was divided into two groups: those with sleep apnea (Group I) and those without sleep apnea (Group II). Sleep apnea was identified in 155 patients. The remaining 52 patients did not have sleep apnea. Patients in Group I were older (64 vs. 57 years; P = 0.001) and had a higher body mass index (34 vs. 31.65 kg/m²; P = 0.027), waist circumference (114 vs. 108 cm; P = 0.001), and neck circumference (43 cm vs. 41 cm; P = 0.001) than patients in Group II. Type-2 diabetes (59 vs. 8; P = 0.004), heart failure (OR 0.797 [95% CI:0.683–0.929]; P = 0.004), and AF (OR 1.252 [95% CI:1.088–1.441]; P = 0.013) were more common in Group I than in Group II. Eighty-seven patients exhibited paroxysmal AF. The Berlin (area under the curve [AUC] 0.709; sensitivity 80%; specificity 54%) and STOP-BANG (AUC 0.708; sensitivity 79%; specificity 46%) Questionnaires effectively identified sleep apnea. The Epworth Sleepiness Scale had a low predictive ability for sleep apnea (sensitivity 15%; specificity 87%; AUC 0.543). Thus, the Berlin Questionnaire and STOP-BANG Scale may be used to assess the risk of sleep apnea in patients with AF.