Sleep Apnea Can Be Diagnosed Without Overnights In A Sleep Lab

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Sleep Apnea Can Be Diagnosed Without Overnights In A Sleep Lab

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=62427

Exclusively ambulatory techniques and equipment were as successful

at identifying and treating sleep apnea as the current method of

polysomnography, which requires several supervised overnight stays

in a sleep laboratory.

The ambulatory method involved identifying high-probability patients

with a standardized clinical assessment and at-home portable sleep

monitoring and auto-titration of continuous positive airway pressure

(CPAP).

Sixty-eight patients with high likelihood of having sleep apnea were

assigned to groups that received polysomnography or the sleep tests

at home. Both groups received continuous positive airway pressure at

night at home through a CPAP machine with face mask and hose.

After three months, the groups had the same results on three outcome

measures, and those who received the initial diagnosis at home were

more likely to adhere to the use of the CPAP treatment.

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ls of Internal Medicine tip sheet for February 6, 2007