BarnesCare has adopted new Department of Transportation (DOT) Medical Review Board recommendations on obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) screening for drivers.  Beginning immediately, BarnesCare providers performing DOT certification examinations will include the newly recommended criteria to help determine if a driver should seek further medical evaluation for OSA. 

“Utilizing the new OSA screening criteria improves our ability to serve our transportation clients and the individuals who may be faced with the problem of sleep apnea,” says Tom Kibby, MD, MPH, BarnesCare chief medical officer. 

For drivers who are not observed with obvious OSA symptoms at time of visit but do present with any one of the following five criteria, a sleep study will be ordered and a six-month certification issued.

Sleep Study Criteria:

1. Sleep history suggestive of OSA (snoring, excessive daytime sleepiness, witnessed apneas).
2. BMI ≥ 40
3. BMI ≥ 33 and <40 kg/m² in addition to 3 or more of the following:
   1. Hypertension (treated/untreated)
   2. Type 2 diabetes (treated/untreated)
   3. History of stroke, coronary artery disease or arrhythmias
   4. Micrognathia or retrognathia
   5. Loud snoring
   6. Witnessed apneas
   7. Small airway (Mallampati Classification of Class III or IV)
   8. Neck size >17 inches (male) or 15.5 inches (female)
   9. Hypothyroidism (untreated)
   10. Age 42 and above
   11. Male or post-menopausal female
4. Previously diagnosed sleep disorder: Compliance claimed, but not recent medical visits. If compliance report within last 3 months available for immediate review and found not to be compliant, should be removed from service (includes surgical treatment).
5. AHI <20 in a prior sleep study, but appearance of one or more additional risk factors beyond those that required the original sleep study or a 10% increase in weight. Allow 3 years to lapse until re-testing.

“These new criteria are evidence-based and provide value in the examiner’s role in protecting the health and safety of commercial drivers and improve public safety on our roads and highways,” said Kibby.  Read more about BarnesCare’s OSA Measures for DOT Exams or call 314-747-5859 for more information.