The most appropriate cardiovascular risk stratification strategy for this obese patient is to measure waist circumference. The American Heart Association, American College of Cardiology, and The Obesity Society (AHA/ACC/TOS) guideline for the management of overweight and obesity recommends screening for overweight and obesity by calculating BMI at annual visits or more frequently. Additionally, the guideline recommends measuring waist circumference at the level of the iliac crest in overweight and obese patients. (Measuring waist circumference in patients with a BMI >35 is unnecessary, as the waist circumference will likely be elevated.) Central adiposity (waist circumference >102 cm [40 in] in men and >88 cm [35 in] in women) is associated with an increased risk for hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and coronary heart disease, independent of BMI. Together, BMI and waist circumference can be used to risk stratify patients.
Exercise stress testing is typically indicated for evaluation of chest pain in symptomatic individuals. This patient is asymptomatic and likely at low risk for coronary heart disease. Therefore, there are no indications for stress testing.
Although the patient reports occasional snoring, he does not report nonrestorative sleep or daytime hypersomnolence, which would be suggestive of obstructive sleep apnea. Therefore, overnight oximetry or polysomnography is not indicated.
Screening resting electrocardiography should not be performed in this patient. The American College of Physicians specifically recommends against screening asymptomatic low-risk adults for ischemic heart disease with resting or stress electrocardiography, stress echocardiography, or stress myocardial perfusion imaging. Instead, clinicians should address modifiable cardiovascular risk factors, such as obesity, smoking, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes, and encourage healthy diet and levels of exercise.
Along with a history and physical examination, the AHA/ACC/TOS obesity guideline recommends performing clinical and laboratory assessments, including measuring blood pressure, fasting plasma glucose level, and fasting lipid levels, in overweight and obese patients to assess for cardiovascular risk factors and obesity-associated comorbidities.