Does anyone know how accurate portable sleep studies are?  I recently did an at home study given to me by my internist.  It's basically a glove you wear with and oxygen monitor and a heart rate monitor and the results are combined to indicate sleep apnea.  Apparently my results fell into the moderate range, so I've been given a cpap for use.  The concern I have is that I in no way fit any of the typical sleep apnea profiles - I am female in my 30s, very healthy weight, excellent diet/exercise habits, and I don't snore!  My doctor did a full workup and there appears to be nothing else physiological to explain my fatigue, memory/cognitive function issues, so that part fits, but otherwise I'm having a hard time accepting the diagnosis.  I'm also having a miserable time with the CPAP, but that's an issue for another board.

Any insight into at home studies is appreciated.  I'm wondering if I should see a specialist to confirm these findings?

There could be other sleep disorder issues than "just" OSA. And an at-home sleep study is NOT going to be able to detect them.

As far as the "classic" OSA profile: Heck, I'm 5'4", weigh 110 lbs, have a 13" neck, am female, no jaw or throat abnormalities .... but I have OSA.


_________________
Some people are like Slinkies... Not really good for anything, but they still bring a smile to your face when you push them down a flight of stairs.
Resmed VPAP Auto. Humidaire 3i, Simplicity & Micro masks, ResScan 3.4, S8 ResLink, Embla oximeter.

First, let me say you are totally awesome CrohnieTwo - you're insights have helped me out here and on my other post about having a hard time with my cpap!

I'm reassured to hear you don't fit the "classic" profile either.  To be honest, I was so relieved to get my apnea diagnosis simply because it meant there is a reason for my feeling so out of it all the time!  But then I mentioned it to a couple of health care providers I interact with professionally and they looked at me like I was crazy and couldn't possibly have gotten the right diagnosis, so I started to have doubts....

Thanks for helping me not feel quite so crazy after all.  I'll talk to my doctor about a  full-on sleep study, just to make sure we're not overlooking another issue.

gregory wrote:

Does anyone know how accurate portable sleep studies are?  I recently did an at home study given to me by my internist.  It's basically a glove you wear with and oxygen monitor and a heart rate monitor and the results are combined to indicate sleep apnea.  Apparently my results fell into the moderate range, so I've been given a cpap for use.  The concern I have is that I in no way fit any of the typical sleep apnea profiles - I am female in my 30s, very healthy weight, excellent diet/exercise habits, and I don't snore!  My doctor did a full workup and there appears to be nothing else physiological to explain my fatigue, memory/cognitive function issues, so that part fits, but otherwise I'm having a hard time accepting the diagnosis.  I'm also having a miserable time with the CPAP, but that's an issue for another board.

Any insight into at home studies is appreciated.  I'm wondering if I should see a specialist to confirm these findings?

Wrist actigraphy devices are FDA approved, so its "safe" to say that they can be used to diagnose sleep apnea. Also, they are much cheaper than PSGs, so as long as your sleepiness disappears with a few weeks of CPAP, then I wouldnt worry too much about the PSG. If you are still tired in a month, with continual CPAP use, then maybe its time to get the PSG.

As far as their accuracy? It may depend on the particular study. I have seem some instances where they were not far off from a user scored PSG.

are these in-home studies less expensive?  my son's dr keep saying he needs a cpap, but if the insurance keeps saying they won't pay coz the apnea didn't show up during the study, maybe I should give one of these in-home jobbers a try....can you tell me how much it cost and if it is for only l night, or can be used for more?

thanks

I've read in our area, $500 for just the one night. But I think that includes more than just something like ApneaLink or an overnight oximetry or an overnight autoPAP.


_________________
Some people are like Slinkies... Not really good for anything, but they still bring a smile to your face when you push them down a flight of stairs.
Resmed VPAP Auto. Humidaire 3i, Simplicity & Micro masks, ResScan 3.4, S8 ResLink, Embla oximeter.

thanks Chronie...I think at that price for 5 days is about the same price range of a cpap for a week.....I did a couple quick searches and the info I found only said the device is used to measure time slept/awake and total body movements and circadian rhythms....There was no mention of breathing on any of the sites and the 2 insurance sites I read said the use of the device is considered 'investigative' and therefore is not covered.  The dates of this info was 2007.   There was also lots of talk about the inconsistancy between different devices and how they compare with PSG.

Well, a full in-lab PSG can detect most all sleep disorders, whereas the in-home sleep studies are pretty much limited to OSA, I "think".

Medicare has just approved limited in-home sleep studies so more insurance companies should start following suit. They list the types of devices approved for in-home studies but there is no clear description that I've found of just what they are and what they can determine aside from OSA itself. I'm outta my league in information about them. WAY outta my league.


_________________
Some people are like Slinkies... Not really good for anything, but they still bring a smile to your face when you push them down a flight of stairs.
Resmed VPAP Auto. Humidaire 3i, Simplicity & Micro masks, ResScan 3.4, S8 ResLink, Embla oximeter.

embryopathy wrote:

are these in-home studies less expensive?  my son's dr keep saying he needs a cpap, but if the insurance keeps saying they won't pay coz the apnea didn't show up during the study, maybe I should give one of these in-home jobbers a try....can you tell me how much it cost and if it is for only l night, or can be used for more?

thanks

Much less expensive. In my area, the charge is $199 a night.

The PSG is between 2200 and 2500 per night.

ok....to clarify my previous post....there are 2 types of devices...the wrist thing is NOT for diagnosing apnea...only insomnia and leg movements http://www.sleepreviewmag.com/issues/articles/2003-03_01.asp

HOWEVER, the glove that the original poster mentions IS the one approved to diagnose apnea , and at least according to people who sell it   it is as good as a full PSG in a lab.  [url]  http://www.thesnoreshop.ca/diagnostic.asp  [/url]

and do insurance companies honor it as verification of need for a cpap?

Yea, I was referring to the Watch PAT by Itamar.

This is the one that I am familiar with.

I copied this from an earlier post on this forum:

I have just been informed about this post. I would like to add my 2 cents worth. The Watch-PAT is the most advanced ambulatory device on the market with over 40 peer reviewed articles and 100 abstracts. Its validity has been tested vis-a-vis the PSG and the correlation is close to 95% (between scorers of PSG there is a 20% disagreement rate). It is FDA approved for the diagnosis of OSA (the same as the PSG). The Kaiser system, VA network and over 1,000 MD's and 400 DDS's use it on a daily basis. It is NOT used before a PSG but rather instead of.  While split nite studies have become the norm today (to save money), there is ample proof in the field that they are not medically effective. - gjs1964

FWIW

This is a really good link about the portable (home) sleep devices
http://www.entoday.com/pt/re/entoday/fulltext.01265117-200807000-00007.htm;jsessionid=LZtYS9lrhhGZZHpCJQGYFvky1kb9w6X2pyjynTh9PmLsJ0gbGDJr!-193954295!181195628!8091!-1

ha! that's a really long url....hope the link works!