Background. The STOP-BANG questionnaire has been used to identify surgical 
patients at risk for undiagnosed obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) by classifying 
patients as low risk (LR) if STOP-BANG score < 3 or high risk (HR) if STOP-BANG 
score ≥ 3. Few studies have examined whether postoperative complications are 
increased in HR patients and none have been described in oncologic patients. 
Objective. This retrospective study examined if HR patients experience increased 
complications evidenced by an increased length of stay (LOS) in the 
postanesthesia care unit (PACU). Methods. We retrospectively measured LOS and 
the frequency of oxygen desaturation (<93%) in cancer patients who were given 
the STOP-BANG questionnaire prior to cystoscopy for urologic disease in an 
ambulatory surgery center. Results. The majority of patients in our study were 
men (77.7%), over the age of 50 (90.1%), and had BMI < 30 kg/m(2) (88.4%). 
STOP-BANG results were obtained on 404 patients. Cumulative incidence of the 
time to discharge between HR and the LR groups was plotted. By 8 hours, LR 
patients showed a higher cumulative probability of being discharged early (80% 
versus 74%, P = 0.008). Conclusions. Urologic oncology patients at HR for OSA 
based on the STOP-BANG questionnaire were less likely to be discharged early 
from the PACU compared to LR patients.