Detecting obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) among bariatric surgery candidates is crucial since undiagnosed OSA is an independent risk factor for perioperative surgical complications. Which screening tools are best? 
An article titled “Screening for Obstructive Sleep Apnea in a Diverse Bariatric Surgery Population” and published in the journal Obesity outlined a retrospective study of 214 patients, finding that the STOP-BANG and NO-OSAS screening questionnaires worked better (higher specificity) than the No-Apnea and Epworth Sleepiness Scale.
The data comes courtesy of Kimberly Kreitinger, MD, of the University of California, San Diego. STOP-BANG and NO-OSAS had the largest areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) for specificity and sensitivity.
“Specifically compared with STOP-BANG and NO-OSAS, the ESS screening tool had significantly lower area under the curve (P<0.01),”. “Although the ‘gold standard’ of diagnosing this condition is sleep lab polysomnography, it’s often impractical because of cost and long wait times at centers. Clinicians therefore have wanted alternative, more accessible screening tools.”
“Our study validates these newer screening tools—NO-OSAS and No—as well as previously established cutoffs for screening moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea in the bariatric surgery population,” explained Kreitinger in the article.
Source: Obesity Society