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Re: At Home Sleep Apnea Test
Posted: Sat Mar 02, 2013 1:03 pm
by sleepstar
Hi,
If the device is called an apnea link, then I don't think it's measuring chest wall activity at all.
The band is just there to keep everything in place.
We sometimes use apnea links at work and they only measure nasal pressure and oxygen saturation
$350 for the test is bloody steep lol. I hope your results are useful
Re: At Home Sleep Apnea Test
Posted: Sat Mar 02, 2013 1:08 pm
by mollete
I believe it is the ApneaLink Plus which shows chest wall activity.
If we get the D/L we'll certainly try to get our 350 bucks worth.
BTW, you could run that thing for another night if you want.
Re: At Home Sleep Apnea Test
Posted: Sat Mar 02, 2013 1:13 pm
by sleepstar
Oh great. That's good there's chest activity then
It's ashame that there isn't another band over the stomach. Then you could more precisely tell about central sleep apnea or cheyne stokes respiration.
Hope all goes well
Re: At Home Sleep Apnea Test
Posted: Sat Mar 02, 2013 3:05 pm
by mollete
The chest belt will be fine. The ApneaLink software will automatically detect CSR as well. Plus if we get the record we'll be able to see it and manually score if necessary.
Re: At Home Sleep Apnea Test
Posted: Sat Mar 02, 2013 4:49 pm
by avi123
If I was going to do a AT HOME Sleep Study, I would then consider:
this one:
The cost for an IDS Home Sleep Test will never be more than $300, even for those without insurance.
http://www.instantdiagnostic.com/ids/
They are using:
http://www.resmed.com/us/products/apnea ... s&sec=true
And this one:
http://www.1stlinemedical.com/patient-information.html
This uses the WatchPAT-200. Doing a one night test costs $200. If the result is positive for OSA then there is an extra cost of $95 for their professional’s interpretation.
A filled out form of Medical Needs, by any physician, is required.
http://www.1stlinemedical.com/sleep-tes ... ified.html
This is the Physician Registration Form in this place:
And this is the Certificate of Medical Needs:

Re: At Home Sleep Apnea Test
Posted: Sat Mar 02, 2013 6:33 pm
by G'night Gracie
mollete wrote:I believe it is the ApneaLink Plus which shows chest wall activity.
If we get the D/L we'll certainly try to get our 350 bucks worth.
BTW, you could run that thing for another night if you want.
It never occurred to me to run it for a second night. What might I gain, and would there be a danger of overwriting the first night's data, just in case I got it right last night? I had it set to record for about ten hours. Mollete, it hasn't escaped my notice that you're very well-regarded on this board, so I'm paying extra attention to your comments. I've packed up the device for return, pending an answer to a question I posed to the supplier, which probably won't arrive until Monday. Not sure what to do...
Re: At Home Sleep Apnea Test
Posted: Sat Mar 02, 2013 6:41 pm
by G'night Gracie
Very nice of you to offer these options for others considering a home sleep test. The test I opted for is using ApneaLink Plus, as Mollete has mentioned. Really appreciate all of the support from users of this forum!
Re: At Home Sleep Apnea Test
Posted: Sat Mar 02, 2013 7:13 pm
by mollete
G'night Gracie wrote:mollete wrote:I believe it is the ApneaLink Plus which shows chest wall activity.
If we get the D/L we'll certainly try to get our 350 bucks worth.
BTW, you could run that thing for another night if you want.
It never occurred to me to run it for a second night. What might I gain, and would there be a danger of overwriting the first night's data, just in case I got it right last night? I had it set to record for about ten hours. Mollete, it hasn't escaped my notice that you're very well-regarded on this board, so I'm paying extra attention to your comments. I've packed up the device for return, pending an answer to a question I posed to the supplier, which probably won't arrive until Monday. Not sure what to do...
The memory of ApneaLink is about 15 1/2 hours, so a 10 hour study ate up quite a bit of memory. Also the batteries (depending on the type) might have to be replaced after one night.
At this point, perhaps the best answer would be: If you think you had a representative night and the sensors were intact (nothing got yanked off), just get it downloaded.
Say, I have a question. If it turns out there is insufficient data (like something did fall off) do they send it back for a freebie night?
Re: At Home Sleep Apnea Test
Posted: Sat Mar 02, 2013 7:16 pm
by avi123
Re: At Home Sleep Apnea Test
Posted: Sat Mar 02, 2013 11:47 pm
by avi123
This is the Physician Order for Home Sleep Test by IDS where they use Resmed Apnea Link:

Re: At Home Sleep Apnea Test
Posted: Sun Mar 03, 2013 9:16 am
by G'night Gracie
mollete wrote:G'night Gracie wrote:mollete wrote:
Say, I have a question. If it turns out there is insufficient data (like something did fall off) do they send it back for a freebie night?
Got an email reply from them saying that in case of insufficient data, they would reissue the device to me for another night. Sounds reasonable to me.
Re: At Home Sleep Apnea Test
Posted: Sun Mar 03, 2013 10:20 am
by Sir NoddinOff
Thanks a lot for your posts, Gracie. Many have discussed this process but I don't know any who have reported back with such accuracy and promptness. I hope your home sleep test was conclusive and provides you with the equipment you need. Also a thanks to Avi123 for all the interesting research.
Re: At Home Sleep Apnea Test
Posted: Sun Mar 03, 2013 8:15 pm
by sleepstar
I don't know how accurate it would be detecting CSA without belts.
I know as a tech scoring studies with one belt faulty is not fun.
Edit:
Just did some research. It does pick up some CSA, but only as a screening tool. It then recommends a full sleep test in lab.
Re: At Home Sleep Apnea Test
Posted: Mon Mar 04, 2013 5:08 am
by mollete
sleepstar wrote:It does pick up some CSA, but only as a screening tool.
What do you mean, "some"?
sleepstar wrote:It then recommends a full sleep test in lab.
We don't need no stinkin' lab.
However, if they want to watch and learn, hey, it's a free country.
Australia, anyway.
I'm starting to have my doubts about here.
Re: At Home Sleep Apnea Test
Posted: Mon Mar 04, 2013 10:54 am
by sleepstar
That same report says that those events were detected as obstructive apneas and hypopneas.
You can manually score an apnea link - I'd hope that's what they do. I would be more trusting of a manually scored study than an algorithm