Home Sleep Apnea Test

Original Editor - Lilian Ashraf

Top Contributors - Lilian Ashraf and Sehriban Ozmen  

Introduction[edit | edit source]

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a sleep-related breathing disorder that is characterized by the obstruction of the upper airway during sleep. It’s diagnosis and effective management is an urgent health priority. As, untreated obstructive sleep apnea can result in increased risk of numerous health complications, including hypertension, congestive heart failure, atrial fibrillation, coronary artery disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes.[1]

The standard medical test for the diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea is polysomnography. Home sleep apnea test (HSAT) is an alternative medical test for the diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea in uncomplicated adults.[1]

Clinical Use[edit | edit source]

Home sleep apnea Test is less  sensitive than polysomnography in the detection of obstructive sleep apnea.Unlike polysomnography that identifies the severity of sleep-disordered breathing (ie, apnea-hypopnea index or AHI) based on actual sleep time, most HSAT devices produce an estimate of severity (ie, respiratory event index or REI) based on monitoring time.[1]

Home sleep apnea test is used for when other medical conditions related to sleep disorder are excluded, and signs and symptoms present are indicative of moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea, rather than mild. It can also be used for a follow up.[1]

[2]

The Position of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine[edit | edit source]

  • Only a medical provider can diagnose medical conditions such as OSA and primary snoring.
  • The need for, and appropriateness of, an HSAT must be based on the patient's medical history and a face-to-face examination by a medical provider, either in person or via telemedicine.
  • A HSAT is a medical assessment that must be ordered by a medical provider to diagnose OSA or evaluate treatment efficacy.
  • A HSAT should not be used for general screening of asymptomatic clinical populations.
  • Diagnosis, assessment of treatment efficacy, and treatment decisions must not be based solely on automatically scored HSAT data, which could lead to sub-optimal care that jeopardizes patient health and safety.
  • The raw data from the HSAT device must be reviewed and interpreted by a physician who is either board-certified in sleep medicine or overseen by a board-certified sleep medicine physician.[1]

Evidence[edit | edit source]

A 2022 looked into the accuracy of home sleep apnea test, it concluded that the results from home sleep monitoring correlate well with the laboratory “gold standard” and may be an option for diagnosing OSAS in selected patients.[3]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Rosen IM, Kirsch DB, Carden KA, Malhotra RK, Ramar K, Aurora RN, Kristo DA, Martin JL, Olson EJ, Rosen CL, Rowley JA. Clinical use of a home sleep apnea test: an updated American Academy of Sleep Medicine position statement. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine. 2018 Dec 15;14(12):2075-7.
  2. Itamar Medical. WatchPAT 300 Sleep Apnea Test - How to Use. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tD2HJ-TQaM [last accessed 30/4/2023]
  3. Zancanella E, do Prado LF, de Carvalho LB, Machado Júnior AJ, Crespo AN, do Prado GF. Home sleep apnea testing: an accuracy study. Sleep and Breathing. 2022 Mar 1:1-7.