Just in--home diagnosis of sleep apnea as effective as PSG

[M.D.Hosehead]

Current issue of the medical journal, chest.


http://chestjournal.chestpubs.org/conte ... 7.abstract

[akcpapguy]

I'll have to read the complete study to comment, but on a similar note. Tricare published guidelines for Physicians who wish to order home sleep studies on their patients.


August 9, 2010


Ordering Home/Portable Sleep Studies
According to the TRICARE Policy Manual, home/portable sleep studies can only be ordered by physicians who are either board eligible and/or board certified in sleep medicine.

In addition, the patient needs to meet all of the following criteria before a home/portable sleep study can be ordered:

There is high pretest probability of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) as evidenced by clinical features, signs and symptoms.
The ordering physician determines a home portable sleep study is an appropriate alternative to in-laboratory polysomnography (PSG).
No significant co-morbid conditions exist that could impact the accuracy of the study.
No sleep disorders other than OSA are suspected.
Diagnosis of OSA has been established, therapy has been initiated, and response to treatment is to be evaluated.
For more information, please refer to the TRICARE Policy Manual, Chapter 7, Section 19.1 at http://www.tricare.mil.

[sleepmba]

Here is a great discussion on the topic. http://www.sleepguide.com/forum/topics/ ... s-vs-inlab

In it you will find the pro's and con's of the two. Personally, as a sleep tech, I would want an in lab study because they record more "things" and are analyzed more rigorously.

[billbolton]

abstract

Without knowing what specifically was/wasn't included in the scope of the study, that abstract isn't much use.

Cheers,

Bill

[M.D.Hosehead]

I guess you have to get up pretty early to get ahead of Rooster

He not only found that article days before I did, he's already got into a 6-page argument over it it on the sleepguide forum.