Home Sleep Testing Valid for OSA Diagnosis
Home sleep testing is being used more frequently to diagnose patients with obstructive sleep apnea, but only a few studies have evaluated how well this form of diagnosis works when compared with testing in a traditional sleep center. New research, presented at the American Thoracic Society International Conference in New Orleans, shows that home testing is a valid diagnosis option for many patients.
In the study titled “Non-Inferiority of Functional Outcome in Ambulatory Management of Obstructive Sleep Apnea,” researchers conducted a two-site, randomized, parallel group study of the functional improvement on CPAP treatment in veterans with OSA as part of the Veterans Sleep Apnea Treatment Trial. The veterans were randomized to either standard in-laboratory polysomnographic testing or home unattended testing. Home testing consisted of an overnight recording with a Type 3 portable monitor (from Embla) followed by at least three nights using an auto PAP device (from Philips Respironics). Of the 296 randomized patients (95 percent male), 223 were initiated on CPAP and 185 completed the three-month follow-up.
Researchers found that those who had undergone at-home testing showed improvements after three months of CPAP treatment that were similar to those who had undergone in-lab diagnosis. The authors concluded that in-home testing and sleep lab testing were both valid forms of diagnosis. To search for and read the poster abstract, click here.