How accurate are the home sleep studies and are they really necessary?

[djams]

Now, if I had just bought the machine used, I would have spent half as much, and would still be at the same point in my therapy, asking questions of strangers.

The strangers will quickly become friends.

[jnk...]

The strangers will quickly become friends.

Or at least strange-friends.

[palerider]

Now, if I had just bought the machine used, I would have spent half as much, and would still be at the same point in my therapy, asking questions of strangers.

The strangers will quickly become friends.

Is this DUG guy calling us *STRANGE*????

hrmph.

[nicholasjh1]

To answer directly the question in the thread title . . .

How accurate are the home sleep studies and are they really necessary?

. . . Home sleep studies are a money-saving method used for docs to prove to payers that someone should be allowed to try PAP therapy. They are very good in that they are accurate enough for that specific purpose when it is completely obvious to a doc at a glance that a person has moderate-to-severe OSA and the doc only needs something objective to prove it to payers.

The limitation of home sleep studies is that they are profoundly unable to prove someone is NOT a candidate for getting benefit from PAP. So anyone who shows negative findings with a home sleep test must go ahead and get a lab polysomnography diagnostic test anyway in order to get truly definitive negative results or more subtle positive results that home tests are incapable of providing.

This isn't unilaterally true, my doc and insurance did not insist on a follow up study or a titration study for that matter. Severe apnea at home study was enough for them. (And the interview questions for apnea symptoms weirdly.)

[jnk...]

So then, what I said WAS true in your case, right? Or did I misunderstand you?

. . . Severe apnea at home study was enough for them. . . .

. . . Home sleep studies are . . . used for docs to prove . . . someone should be allowed to try PAP therapy. They are very good in that they are accurate enough for that specific purpose . . .

[palerider]

To answer directly the question in the thread title . . .

How accurate are the home sleep studies and are they really necessary?

. . . Home sleep studies are a money-saving method used for docs to prove to payers that someone should be allowed to try PAP therapy. They are very good in that they are accurate enough for that specific purpose when it is completely obvious to a doc at a glance that a person has moderate-to-severe OSA and the doc only needs something objective to prove it to payers.

The limitation of home sleep studies is that they are profoundly unable to prove someone is NOT a candidate for getting benefit from PAP. So anyone who shows negative findings with a home sleep test must go ahead and get a lab polysomnography diagnostic test anyway in order to get truly definitive negative results or more subtle positive results that home tests are incapable of providing.

This isn't unilaterally true, my doc and insurance did not insist on a follow up study or a titration study for that matter. Severe apnea at home study was enough for them. (And the interview questions for apnea symptoms weirdly.)

Seems you just confirmed what jnk... said.

[DUG]

Good morning.

Changed my settings to 8/14 and I thought I had a pretty decent sleep. My AHI on the MyAir machine says 29.3. The second worst score I have recorded. Looks like my seal wasn't very good last night, 15/20, when I normally get 20/20 in that department.

I thought I had an above average night. Discouraging for sure.

I didn't bring the SD card to work today, so I can't post my results. Try again tonight and Ill bring the card in Friday.

Makes me think that I slept better, because the mask was looser and I didn't get the big pressures that normally wake me up. I doubt my episodes were any different than normal.

[Pugsy]

Does the MyAir report give you an event category breakdown from last night?
If so...how many of each type of apnea event over whatever period of time you slept?

Did you add in EPR last night? If you did...what setting?

[DUG]

You suggested I save the EPR as a next possible step, so I left it off.

MyAir doesn't explain the AHI score, just gives a total.

My average is 10 AHI, so even for me, 29.3 is a big number.

[DUG]

Now, if I had just bought the machine used, I would have spent half as much, and would still be at the same point in my therapy, asking questions of strangers.

The strangers will quickly become friends.

Is this DUG guy calling us *STRANGE*????

hrmph.

I have no doubt that you are strange, you wear scuba equipment to bed.
Strange is good.

[jnk...]

have no doubt that you are strange, you wear scuba equipment to bed.

.
As opposed to the perfectly normal, everynight bed-snorkelers?



.

[palerider]

Now, if I had just bought the machine used, I would have spent half as much, and would still be at the same point in my therapy, asking questions of strangers.

The strangers will quickly become friends.

Is this DUG guy calling us *STRANGE*????

hrmph.

I have no doubt that you are strange, you wear scuba equipment to bed.
Strange is good.

I had to stop with the flippers, they were getting tangled in the sheets.

[jnk...]

Yeah. I heard somewhere that flippers should almost be illegal.

[palerider]

Yeah. I heard somewhere that flippers should almost be illegal.

I try to stay away from the illeagle these days, the last one puked up all over my car.

[zonker]

Yeah. I heard somewhere that flippers should almost be illegal.

what you did there? i saw it!